


A Bigger Perimeter Of Love

by FrenchChoniLover



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cheryl is pregnant, Cheryl lawyer, Choni at work, Choni domestic, Choni during pregnancy, Choni family, Choni married, Choni with kids, F/F, Horny Cheryl, I guarantee you'll like it, Make-outs, Maternity Leave, Pregnancy, Toni not complaining, Toni photograph, and fluff, fluffy fun and funny fluff, lot of love, pregnancy hormones, promising you fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:07:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22614592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrenchChoniLover/pseuds/FrenchChoniLover
Summary: A perimeter of love, their perimeter of love, embellished with a new source of joy making this whole new life even more exciting ... An undisputed love, lived by two beautiful young women, and the fruit of their union will become the least of their worries but also their greatest pride.***Book of little stories about married Cheryl and Toni with the whole family thing.Oneshots about Choni through motherhood.
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Comments: 88
Kudos: 271





	1. Pregnancy Hormones

**[5 weeks] ******

_knock knock knock_

****

“Yes!” Toni says from her desk for the door to open.

****

She’s actually at work right now. In her personal office at the photography agency, casually sitting at her giant desk full of many computers. At the time she’s interrupted in her work, she’s just answering some important emails on her private laptop while waiting for the download of some pictorial files on her working computers.

****

The multiple bay windows let enters the bright sun of the just-beginning afternoon. 

****

At 26 years old, Toni is quite connecting the successes in the field of photography. Her and Cheryl are still madly in love and after buying a big house in Cali, they finally decided to have kids. It’s been a few months since the beginning of all the necessary procedures but at the moment they are officialy a few weeks pregnant. What an excitement and joy it had been for them to learn that they were going to widen their perimeter of love to a family. It’s a dream becoming reality for the young married couple.

****

The door opens right after the sign of acceptance. 

****

The unexpected guest matter of factly surprises Toni who raises from her comfortable chair to approach them. 

****

“Cheryl? What are you doing here, baby? And what’s the emergency you’ve texted me about?” she asks softly as she walks to her beautifully-dressed-lawyer wife. She is wearing a short black skirt with a dark-shade-of-gray elegant sweater, a red coat over it all. 

****

Cheryl seems quite in a hurry, but she doesn’t say anything and just double locks the door from behind her and attacks Toni’s lips with hers aggressively.

****

Pale hand scratching tanned nape while the other pushes gently but firmly on Toni’s shoulder.

****

Toni doesn’t really understand what’s happening in the exact moment but doesn’t complains and goes on, gripping Cheryl’s tiny waist and back.

****

The kiss is extremely heated, the room has probably gained 52 degrees in a matter of time. 

****

Lipstick-smudged lips opens to let a tongue-battle settle.

****

This isn’t really what Toni should do at work. Neither should Cheryl. Because yes, Cheryl is supposed to be at her work, certainly studying documents for trails or something, and instead of it, there she is making out with her 2-year-wife in another office than hers, a few miles away from where she should be.

****

Toni breaks the kiss when Cheryl attempts to push her toward the couch in the corner of the room, breathlessly.

****

“Mm-wow babe, slow down...” she laughs a little at her redhead’s eagerness. She watches Cheryl taking off her coat and putting it on her wide desk. “Is that the ‘serious emergency’ you were talkin’ about?” she chuckles making air quotes with her fingers. 

****

“Yes, this is urgent.” Cheryl says as she re attacks Toni’s lips. This time really pushing her on the couch as to make her sit down. She then straddles her lap without breaking the once again heated kiss.

****

Between kisses, Toni smiling contently says “You made all the way here *kiss* from your work for *long kiss* this?”

****

“Yes, *kiss* it’s this stupid pregnancy hormones.” the redhead says between kisses as she unbuttons Toni’s shirt. “It makes me want to have sex all the time urgently...” and she kisses Toni again hearing her mumbling sloppily against her lips something about liking these hormones.

****

They possessively make out some more until Cheryl’s phone goes off. She pulls away from the kiss to look at it, seemingly important because it’s the ringtone for work, Toni takes advantage of the interruption to kiss her neck as she puts up Cheryl’s skirt searching for her underwear. 

****

Toni hears Cheryl groaning frustratingly but keeps kissing her neck hungrily.

****

“I have a meeting...” she huffs irritated.

****

“What?” Toni says looking up at her.

****

“I have a meeting with my client.” she repeats, desperation clear in her eyes before she closes them to sigh. The grinding of their hips stopping completely.

****

Toni frowns.

****

“Are you crying?” she asks worried seeing her wife’s face scrunching up with tiredness and sadness. 

****

She was indeed.

****

Her face was in a crying process, but she rapidly hides it with the hand that isn’t tangled in Toni’s hair. She recovers quickly from her sadness and whines “No.” 

****

But then she looks at Toni who looks at her concerned and her face is again traveled by a wave of sadness, so she’s crying again and whines “Yes.”

****

Toni puts her left hand on her cheek softly as she cries (but not really).

****

“I cry every time I am mad...” the redhead whines, sobbing softly.

****

“Oh- what? you’re mad?” Toni asks preoccupied by her emotional wife. Worry all over her eyes.

****

“Yeah, I am mad because I can’t have sex because I have a stupid meeting-” Cheryl can’t even finish her sentence as she’s cut off by someone knocking at the door.  
Toni’s head turns towards it.

****

“Mrs Topaz?” the muffled voice says.

****

“Kate?” Toni asks, her voice raising so the interloper can hear her from where she is on the couch. Kate is her assistant trainee.

****

“Sorry to bother you Mrs, but your wife’s office called saying she needs to come back urgently for a meeting or something...” Toni listens to her while Cheryl puts her arms around her neck and silent cries anew. Toni’s center of attention is re drew towards her wife, looking at her with pleading eyes. The assistant goes on “Apparently she came here for an emergency but they...” the voice fades away and Toni frowns seeing Cheryl’s state changing from crying to vice anger with smoke escaping her nostrils.

****

“I’m going to kill her-” Cheryl says through gritted teeth raising up from Toni’s lap and walking angrily towards the door.

****

“…so if you could pass her the message along-” Kate’s cut off at her turn by Cheryl unlocking and opening the door.

****

“No Kate. She doesn’t need to pass the message along to her wife. Her wife is already aware.” she barks in front of the afraid-to-the-veins Kate “So if you could go back to your senseless stupid occupations and I’ll do my things.” and she slams the door in her face, in the most impolite way, in a bad ass /pissed way.

****

Cheryl returns to Toni, who’s still on the couch smirking and slightly shaking her head (thinking that the HBIC in Cheryl’s always here). The redhead plants three firm pecks on her lips in hurry. She looks in her lover’s eyes pouting, looking for help which gives her another loving kiss from Toni.

****

Cheryl then goes to take her coat off the desk and walks away, leaving a Toni ten times more in love with her smiling stupidly at the whole situation. Literally, a thousand thing happened in 46 seconds.

****

At the door, just before closing it, Cheryl turns around. “ I’ll see you tonight. I love you.” 

****

Toni smiles warmly. “I love you too, both of you.” 

****

Cheryl smiles at that and she leaves.

****

Toni just chuckles and shakes her head some more saying to herself: “I’m liking these stupid hormones.” as she buttons up her shirt.

****


	2. Pregnancy Hormones (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since a lot of you wanted more of these during-pregnancy-oneshots, I'ma posts little chapters like this.
> 
> Hope you'll like it.
> 
> Enjoy!

  
**[11 weeks]**  
  
  


It was a peaceful night. 

The moment of the day where no one was up, no crazy kid next door crying his life off, no terrifyingly noisy dog from a few houses below barking and especially no small human lodged in Cheryl’s belly somehow creating chaos. The night is certainly the best time of the day when you come home after a long painful day, right?

Well, not totally. The pregnancy decided otherwise.

Toni woke up suddenly by Cheryl rudely moving off of her position, cuddled on Toni’s side, and getting off the bed at the speed of light. Kind of worried, she sat up and rubbed her eyes to see properly what was going on. 

Well, she saw the bright light of the bathroom attached to their bedroom on, and heard the muffled sounds of someone wincing in pain. 

Immediately after her statement, Toni got out of bed just as fast as the redhead if not more and headed towards the light.

She opens the already open door entirely to see her wife sitting in front of the toilet seat, completely bent over it and throwing up all her guts. Toni just sighs, pained to see her lover in this miserable state in the middle of the night.

First because, she knew Cheryl had a hard time trying to find sleep since a few weeks because of all the stress and anxiety the baby caused her. Toni did her best to make life easier for her and create as many relaxing moment as possible. Like a warm bath after work or massages before bedtime or just extra sleeping time in silence in the middle of the afternoon on the soft sofa.

Toni comes to Cheryl’s side and kneels besides her on the tilted floor to rub back while her redhead give back the earlier dinner. 

Every time Cheryl contracts violently to vomit, Toni’s face scrunches up in pain, it’s like she could feel her pain and lived it.

“It’s okay… you’ll be better after...” Toni mumbles softly reassuring words with her still raspy voice from the unfinished sleep, still rubbing her back tenderly. 

When Cheryl’s finished, she flushes the toilet and drops her head down so that her forehead is on her forearm, itself on the front of the bowl.

“I’m sorry I woke you up...” the redhead mumbles still a little sore from the previous activity.

“No- no, you have nothing to be sorry for babe, it’s okay...” she sighs smiling warmly but a bit tiredly at her as she plays with some of the hairs that are out of the little bun on top of Cheryl’s head. “Our little human makes your life difficult, huh?”

Cheryl chuckles. “He or she is mad because of the veggies I gave him… or her.” she whines a little after from another wave of abdominal pain.

Toni laughs a little “I think we are dealing with a little trouble maker, aren't we?”

“It’s your fault. A former gang member as mother… what was I thinking...” Cheryl turns to look at Toni with a tired smile. Toni just laughs again and makes dramatic offended kind of snort.

“Are you kidding me?!” she says through her soft laughter “I wasn’t the one who set my house on fire, locked my mother in a minuscule teen-sex bunker and threatened my high school’s principal.”

They laughs together at that, flashing memories of the old times.  
After a bit, Cheryl sighs and says “I lost everything at the end of the story. There’s a rebellious child growing up in me and my wife saw me in the least sexy state possible. Amazing.” 

“No. You’re the sexiest thing alive. I could literally fuck you right now, right here.” she says firmly.

“… how romantic you are, Antoinette dork.” Cheryl says raising up off the floor with Toni’s help. She rapidly brushes her teeth and drinks up some water and they head together back in bed after turning off the lights.

In bed, they return to their recent position and calm atmosphere.

“How do you feel, now?” Toni asks just above a whisper rubbing Cheryl’s shoulder and arm.

“Better I think… not fine but… better.” Cheryl whispers back cuddling closer to Toni, tightening her arm around her middle. 

Toni sighs in relief and nods. But she decides make things clear with the trouble maker. She detaches herself from her wife, who’s pouting at the loss of body-affection, removes the blanket off Cheryl and let it settle around her hips. She then settles herself so her head, propped up by her elbow, is on the same level as Cheryl’s small bump.

“Hey?” she asks to the bump, trailing her index finger around Cheryl’s belly button. “Yes you. Listen, I love you so much, that’s for sure, but stop making life hard for my wife, okay? She houses you for free, she feeds you for free, she keeps you warm and safe and this is how you thank her?… No, she loves you anyway… Yes, go on.” Toni makes her little conversation with the baby just like it could answer her perfectly, Cheryl just looks down at her in pure amusement and adoration with a bright smile.

Toni looks up at Cheryl, face dead serious from the conversation, and says “She says she’s sorry..” she looks at her for some approbation or something.

Cheryl breath-laughs “apologies accepted...” 

Toni nods, smiling contagiously and turns back towards the bump “You heard your mommy?… Okay.” she nods once firmly like the baby clearly said yes. “What?… oh-you mean last week’s game? … yeah, that was good. Okay, come on, time to sleep. Goodnight.” she finally says kissing Cheryl’s stomach.

Toni gets back up and moves the covers over them when Cheryl cups both her cheeks for a passionate kiss. Toni, surprised, smiles into the kiss and grips her wife’s arm.

“You are perfect. A cheesy perfection...” Cheryl whispers against her lips after pulling away. Toni just simply smiles. “You said ‘she’… you think it’s a girl?” she asks at a reasonable distance to look seriously (but smilingly) at Toni.

“Yeah… I think it’s a girl, I mean with the vibes she gave me…”

“What if it’s a boy?”

“I’ll be perfectly content as well.” she nods solemnly.

***

“You don’t even know what you’re saying!” Toni laughs. She is in the kitchen bright and early this morning despite last night’s events. She and Cheryl are eating breakfast casually as they prepare to leave for work soon.

“She’s looking at you like you’re the smartest person alive!” Cheryl says as she opens the freezer with her left hand while her right hand is holding a long carrot.

“Am I not though?” Toni mumbles keeping that amused smile on while she butters up her toast from her place in the center island.

“Well, no, sorry.” Cheryl raises her eyebrows but keeps talking as she opens the chocolate ice cream she’s bring from the freezer at her, now, place on the counter top, in front of her wife. “She’s here all smiley and laughing her ass off like you said the most hilarious joke- she’s weird. Her and weird ass creepy nails- did you see her nails?” Cheryl asks stopping completely her task to look in the eyes of Toni for a reaction about the mention of the women’s nails.

“I hope you’ll not be talking this bad when the baby will come...” 

“I won’t, it’s just this bitch from your work that’s been getting on my nerves.” Cheryl huffs soaking her carrot deep in the ice cream.

“Karissa is not a bitch, she’s helpful and- what the hell are you doing?!” Toni exclaims seeing Cheryl devour the ice-cream-covered carrot.

“What?” Cheryl mumbles.

“An ice-cream-soaked carrot? Ew babe..” Toni’s eyes widen and her face scrunches up in disgust just by imagining the taste of… that thing.

“Toni!” Cheryl whines “Stop judging me! It isn’t my fault, it’s the baby’s. Those damn hormones… I wouldn’t think but this,” she says pointing to the gourmet in her hand “is one of the most delicious appetizer I’ve ever eaten.” she finishes by a big bite of it.

“Okay…” Toni says still septic with narrowed eyes. But she shakes her head and try to remember what she was talking about before.  
“Anyway, I was saying that Karissa is kind and… okay- she’s maybe a little weird but she’s helpful-” Toni’s cut off by her wife.

“Luckily she is helpful otherwise she would be good for recycling, ” Cheryl chuckles re soaking her semi-carrot in the chocolate ice cream. “… for how useless she is…”

“Cheryl.” Toni says seriously. “Be nice, she’s not a demon.” She takes a sip from her cup of coffee.

Cheryl looks at her with narrowed eyes, watching her carefully, scanning every details and emotion that rush over Toni’s face. A little silence takes place in the sunlight-illuminated kitchen.

“You think I didn’t see you flirting with her?” the redhead says licking the ice cream off the tip of the veggie still looking at Toni.

“What?” Toni asks really lost.

“You know the few times I came to your work to bring you coffee?” Cheryl goes on since she heard Toni hums in approbation “Well, I see you flirting with her, trailing your fingers on her arm, making stupid jokes to flatter her…I’m just a few feet away, you know…” 

Toni smiles and narrows her eyes at her turn. “So you’re spying me?”

“So you don’t deny the fact that you flirt with her.” Cheryl smiles, knowing she stuck her wife. She knew Toni wasn’t prepared for this answer.

In fact, the former serpent’s been destabilized. “Well- wait what? No-”

“Stop lying Antoinette.” Cheryl smiles deviously in victory.

Toni sighs “Okay, I’m flirting with her. But it’s nothing serious, really.” 

“So you’re cheating on me?” Cheryl says seriously now, not playing, not smiling.

“Of course not. You have nothing to worry about, baby.” Toni says approaching Cheryl on the counter. “I do this for a good reason. This girl is hated by everyone at work- because she is a real pain in the ass but apparently, she likes me.” Cheryl is listening carefully. “So I’m just bein’ nice to her because, she knows I hate that guy the agency work with and lets me skip his weekly photo-shoot, she knows I like to swim on Tuesday's afternoon so she shifts my appointments so that i can go and she knows that on Friday night, I like to come to my beautiful wife so she lets me come home sooner… I’m flirtin’ with her because she makes life easy for me.” she pauses to breath and look lovingly at Cheryl and smiles “There’s only one person that really counts for me.” she says taking her hand and rubbing tenderly her knuckles with the pad of her thumb. “I bend over backwards for you, this is not some stupid teen flirt because you’re important to me... you're the love of my life…" she pauses a bit to let the good tension intensify the suspense. She looks up and asks "Will you marry me?”

And it makes Cheryl laugh loudly, she knew it would. And she’s glad she did because happiness looks good on Cheryl Topaz.

Cheryl’s head goes back from the laughter and Toni just smiles looking at her with adoration and pure love.

When Cheryl calms down, she wipes the single tear that escaped her left eye and cups one of Toni’s cheek to peck her lips.

“I love you.” the redhead says as she pulls away.

“I love you, so much.” Toni says back pecking her lips a few more times.

Cheryl suddenly remembers that they have to get to work soon and checks the time on her phone besides her. “Oh-damn it TT, I’m late! I have to go...” and she jumps out of her high stool and runs to the door taking in the way out, her coat and a big black file. “You pick me up for lunch? I wanna spend lunch with you…”

“Yeah, okay, with pleasure.” Toni says coming from the kitchen to the door. “Do you want me to bring a broccoli dipped in peanut butter or it’s not necessary?” she jokes with a smirk as she adjusts Cheryl’s coat properly.

“Shut up, it’s the baby’s fault.” Cheryl says pushing her back by the shoulder. “Have a good day, my love.” and pecks her lips one last time.

“You too.” Toni smiles.

"And stop flirting with this anti-manicure specimen!" she hears her say just before the door shut. She only chuckles in response, her head hang in thought of how much the redhead makes her life amazing.


	3. Your Baby’s Alive And Enjoying It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Kinda lost w/ my ideas right now but there goes more choni pregnant content. Hope you enjoy!

**[15-17 weeks]**   
  
  


Cheryl woke up on this peaceful Saturday, naked, on her bed, after feeling a strange sensation in her belly.

The gentle late-afternoon sunshine penetrating through shutter slots. The scrambled sounds of the background world echoing distantly. The soft sheets caressing pale and brown skin on the light-colored-king-sized bed.

Everything seems to be fine… 

She rubs her eyes, completely awake now, and automatically reaches a hand to put on her stomach, to check on the 4 month old fetus. A habit she rapidly adopted unconsciously.  
Maybe just her instinct making sure there wasn’t a big whole in the middle of her stomach or that extraterrestrials didn’t rob her baby.  
The whole pregnancy situation gave her, even before the baby’s birth, this maternal instinct, which made her overprotect her closest people.

Nothing’s wrong…

The redhead sits up, covering her bare chest, and looks behind her to see Toni sleeping soundly on her side of the bed, also naked but sheet-covered. 

Cheryl smiles remembering the earlier sweating-events.

It became frequent but complicated. The… well, you know, the activity.  
Frequent because of Cheryl’s urgent needs and complicated because of the bump, which grew more and more; with the worry of the risk of getting on top of the redhead or just because they couldn’t get as close as they used to to show physical love. It honestly amused Toni. It made her giggle that ‘the baby’s the new love kill’ or ‘trying to cockblock’ them, but it sure as heck didn’t amuse the redhead who was irritated that _the baby_ made her want things so bad and that _the same baby_ prevented her from doing those things. It wasn’t fair. Really.

However, her smile disappears rapidly when rushes a wave of the same strange feeling that woke her up. 

She frowns and rubs her stomach to ease the sensation after it passed, quickly. 

She didn’t know this feeling, it’s so weird. Not painful or anything but… weird.

Cheryl then decides to go take a hot shower. It’ll maybe change her mind for worrying too much. So without thinking back, she stands up, carefully not to wake Toni, and makes her way towards the bathroom, avoiding, on her way, all the clothes scattered all over the carpet.

Entering the grand-modern bathroom, Cheryl immediately walks towards the shower wanting so bad the heat of the water to stop the chill coming up her spine. She’s bare as a new born and this tilted floor… god, so cold.

She jumps in the shower and turns the shower faucet on hot water but not too hot knowing her skin is sensitive as heck.

The former Blossom goes through her shower routine casually, savoring the rose-scented shower gel and its texture and benefits when suddenly something warm comes in contact with her right-watery-side which makes her jump up slightly.

She turns around suddenly. 

And takes in sight her also naked wife wearing a sorry smile.

“Sorry, baby, I didn’t mean to scare you...” Toni mumbles rubbing both her palms on Cheryl’s sides and back.

Well, the redhead didn’t mean to wake her up. So… draw.

Cheryl breathes out. “You didn’t scare me, you just… surprised me.” she mumbles back watching a smirk growing on Toni’s perfect face.

“...yeah, I know the feeling. You surprised me as well a few hours ago on that bed...” Toni’s raspy-sleepy voice says slowly. “Since when did you become this energetic and...” her gaze drops down to Cheryl’s chest “…this loud?” and she gazes back to Cheryl’s blushing face.

Just when Cheryl was about to explain herself, Toni cuts her off and speaks again smiling warmly.

“-No, let me guess. Pregnancy hormones?”

Cheryl just nods with a tight-lipped smile looking down to her stomach. 

Toni’s hand comes in her field of sight as it rubs gently the not-so-small bump. 

Cheryl places her left hand on Toni’s right, itself on Cheryl’s belly, and she follows the moves made by Toni’s hand on her bump and the sides of it.  
The redhead feels pleasurable sensations traveling her. 

In her chest. 

In her head. 

In her lower stomach. 

Toni’s hands always made her feel so good. In any kind of way. Just by holding her hand. Her hands passing in her hair. Her fingers trailing on her skin. Cheryl loved Toni’s hands. To say the least.

The former serpent looks up meeting her redheaded-wife’s beautiful brown eyes and smiles slightly, trying hard to send all her gratitude, all her devotion… all her love through this intense eye contact. Cheryl felt it and smiles sensing the goosebumps forming quickly on her forearms and chest. 

Toni’s eyes deviate lower, to Cheryl’s other hand, currently holding her red-sweet body puff. She takes it and gently turns Cheryl around so that she faces her wet pale back. She then brushes tenderly the damp red hair off her back, places them over her left shoulder, and kisses the new available area that is her right shoulder.

Toni trails her lingering kisses to the right-side of her neck while slowly begins to rub the body puff on her back.

Cheryl just appreciates the care that has given her, humming contently with her eyes closed.

It’s just what they do. Take care of each other.  
All actions influenced by love. All those gentle and caring rubs. All these tender movements thinned by wonderfully warm water…

The rest of the shower passed just like this, each woman savoring the delicacy of the other in comfortable silence.  
These moments were the best. When you relive the feeling of falling in love…

***

**9 a.m. the following Monday**

“Ooo, Cheryl, hi!” sing-songs Morgan; Cheryl’s associate in the grand law firm; when she catches the sight of her close colleague getting out of the spacious elevator down the corridor. 

Morgan is Cheryl’s closest friend here. She’s a few years older than her but they share the same passions and interests. They make a quite good team together, honestly. Morgan Victoria Wilson, full name, is a married young mom with baby twins.

In this service industry intended for clients who needed to defend themselves, Cheryl was one of the best. From childhood and especially in adolescence, Cheryl has always known how to use her language well, and make her orator fold by the art of eloquence.

The redhead is well appreciated by all her partners in the office, as well as her superiors who were always very proud of all her successes.

“Morgan, hey! I need to talk to you.” the redhead says shuffling out of the elevator and quickly taking Morgan’s arm in order to lead her in a private room. But it is not as much as possible when Morgan interrupts it to speak.

“No, no, no. Listen,” she says stopping dead in her tracks making Cheryl flip around to face her. “I have two news. A good. A bad. What do you want to hear first?”

Cheryl frowns and replies impatiently “I don’t care, spill. Hurry.” 

“Okay. First the bad one: our girls’ rendez-vous at the manicure was postponed due to problems with the employees… It’s not before a week away or so-”

“What?” Cheryl exclaims disappointed.

“Yeah, I know...” Morgan sighs dramatically. 

“And what’s the good new?”

“Oh, your client has finally bowed to your restrictions about tomorrow’s audience, you see him in 20 minutes. I wanted to tell you.” she says happily with a bright wide smile.

The client in question is very… how to say it… irritant and hard to work with. To say the least.

“Oh my god, victory!” Cheryl cheers hugging Morgan. She pulls away and proposes “We have to celebrate it.” which makes her teammate laugh.

“Well, that was the role of the manicure but…” 

“Damn it…” the redheaded breathes out looking down. It has been two long weeks waiting for this manicure appointment… She puts it aside rapidly remembering she wanted to ask something to the sad brunette in front of her. “Anyway, Morgan, I have something to ask you. It’s important.”

Morgan, quickly sensing the worry in Cheryl’s voice, frowns and asks “Of course. Is everything okay Cheryl?” She watches Cheryl looking around and follows her as she is led to the end of the opposite corridor.  
In fact, Cheryl didn’t want them be in the middle of the hall, with everyone walking and minding (or not) their business around them two.

After closing the door of her private office, Cheryl finally says: “Since you have kids, and already went through pregnancy,” Morgan listens carefully “I wanted to address you rather than Toni, because I know she would make me see tones of specialists and…”

“Yeah,” Morgan nods still confused.

“Morgan… this morning I had this feeling, this weird feeling- it was like a flutter- I have no ideas on what it is and I’m scared of what it might be or if the baby’s fine-” Morgan cuts her off immediately seeing the redhead panicking.

“Cheryl, Cheryl- wait. Breath… right. Explain it again, slowly this time?” 

Cheryl breathes deeply in and out as she remembers ‘stress can be very bad for the growing fetus’. “This morning I woke up by something happening in my stomach- I don’t know maybe I imagined it or- OH my god! It’s happening again- it’s happening right now!” Cheryl exclaims looking down at her blazer covered belly.

Morgan puts her hand on it frowning to concentrate. Then her worry disappears and her face lighten as she sighs relieved. “Oh, dear...” she says looking up to a dead-worried Cheryl “nothing’s wrong, on the contrary.” she pauses “Your baby’s kicking.” she then takes one of the redhead’s hands to put on the turbulent area and watches as Cheryl’s fear-colored face transforms into a relieved-smiling one. 

“It’s kicking?” she whispers.

“Yes. It’s a good thing… your baby’s alive and enjoying it.” she smiles up to her.

***

“And this is how my client folded and understood that there was only one way to proceed and win the audience.” Cheryl tells Toni.  
She’s on their bed, applying wild berry flavor hand cream in her palms to complete her night-routine before bed.

Toni makes her way over the bed, removing the covers as she sits on her side of the bed. “That’s amazing, babe. I knew you were gonna make it.” She makes herself comfortable beneath the soft covers and sheets.

“Yeah… Oh, Toni,” Cheryl remembers “Something happened today.” she says watching as Toni turns to look at her. She hums to let her know she has her entire attention, so Cheryl can continue. “Well, our baby was kicking all day...”

“What?! Seriously?” Toni asks with a surprised and excited wide smile. 

“Yeah.” Cheryl laughs at Toni’s enthusiasm.

“C-can I feel?” she asks all excited, like a kid who was receiving a dog for x-mas.

“Of course. Here.” she says removing the thick cover from her middle and taking Toni’s eager hand to place it in the most reactive area. They wait together for something, looking ahead and concentrating hard. 

“It’s been calm for a moment but…” Cheryl says quietly.

Silence.

No moves.

Nothing.

Toni’s smile fades away slowly replaced by furrowed brows.

Literally nothi-

“Oh! Wow.” Toni exclaims giggling at the energetic move coming out of nowhere and so anticipated.

Cheryl looks at Toni smiling happily. “Wait, that was just the first to a few others.”

“Really- Oh! I felt that.” she says contently. And actually a few others came making the couple even more happy and giggling.

“Hey, we have a soccer player here...” Toni smiles to Cheryl as she moves her hand to other places to feel it again.

The night ends wonderfully for the young couple.  
Dreams of a close life full of even more happy moments emerging from elsewhere to their big house, built for little humans to run around and laugh all day.

Just a few months away...


	4. I’m 85% sure it’s a girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! welcome again to another chapter! 
> 
> it was good to write and I hope you'll enjoy!
> 
> Thanks for all the cute comments and kudos!

**[22-24 weeks]**   
  
  


The door of Cheryl’s office opens after two quiet knocks and Toni’s head pops out cutely singing softly “Good afternoon, lawyer Topaz.” with an Irish accent. It immediately makes Cheryl smiles widely. 

Toni makes her way to her wife after closing the door from behind.  
She holds up the brown paper bag and shakes it a little to show Cheryl what she brought. On her way, she makes her little happy dance, swinging her hips gently from side to side because, yes, she is very happy to finally enjoy a couple-only moment. 

Indeed, the two previous weeks had been… irritatingly tiring. For both women. First, Cheryl with the baby, understandable, which is becoming a little difficult for a few reasons.  
And secondly, on Toni’s side, things has been agitated because of the lot of work with the recent sponsor and the multiple internships and the side-projects…etc, all this while also dealing with ‘Cheryl’s storms’ caused by the baby. But those don’t really upset her since she finds Cheryl extremely cute when she’s mad or sad or upset or goes through any other sudden-emotions because of the baby. In fact, she’s enjoying every bit of her wife’s pregnancy. And doesn’t forget to immortalize it as much as possible.

Yes. 

The two previous weeks had been tiring and it’s not ready to end. 

At home, they’re just so tired that they eat and sleep. No time to enjoy or talk… So they decided to at least share lunch together. 

When she reaches Cheryl sitting on her chair in front of her desk, she drops the food bag on her desk and lowers herself slightly to kiss her wife. 

Cheryl, still smiling fondly, cups Toni’s neck by the sides and brings the pair of lips she’s so in love with to a firm loving kiss. 

The kiss lingers a little, lips moving in slow dance, both women smiling into it as they express all their love. Cheryl’s thumbs rubbing Toni’s sculpted jaw. Toni’s warm hand melting Cheryl’s left cheek. Believe it or not, they hadn’t had these sort of kisses for a while, and it feels… awesome.

Before breaking the pleasant kiss for good, they share two last firm pecks then pull away. 

“You brought Chinese?” Cheryl says quietly still close to her wife’s lips, feeling each other’s breath hitting each other’s faces, eyes closed to enjoy the proximity a little more.

“Yeah… good guess.” Toni replies just above a whisper, smiling at the fact Cheryl’s super-sense of smell is still intact. Another super power she developed through the pregnancy. 

She’s enjoying every bit of it.

She tilts her head slightly and places one last peck to her wife’s pillowly lips then pulls away finally. Toni looks down to Cheryl visibly big belly and puts her left palm on top it, rubbing affectionately through her designer red sweater. “How’s the little human doin’?” 

Cheryl looks down herself and sighs dramatically. “Well, our baby is progressively getting on my nerves, to be perfectly honest, TT.” She sees Toni frowning questioningly, still looking at the bump, so she explain herself properly. “It’s kicking all the damn time…”

Toni just hums understandingly and places a kiss on top of Cheryl’s head. She straightens herself, detaching from Cheryl to go grab the food knowing Cheryl and the baby are probably starving by now.

While Cheryl cleans some stuff on her desk to make space for them to eat, Toni goes to reach for a chair not far away from the door and brings it to the side of Cheryl’s fancy desk. She places it on the adjacent side of the one where Cheryl is currently siting and sits on it.

“So,” Toni begins as she pulls the items out of the bag “I got you your chicken noodles,” she says dropping the noodle pot in front of the redhead “and the same for the boxer junior.” and drops another pot but a smaller-sized one. She knows her redhead eats for two. Literally.  
This, as well as the stupid comment, make Cheryl giggles cutely.  
“Here is your vitamin smoothie with organic vegetables, which I, by the way, still find confusing, but...” she says placing the big green cup with a straw besides it “and the chocolate ice cream with shrimp and pineapple nuggets.” she finally says dropping the white ‘special mom’ cup on the desk. “Just know, baby, that this shit took me forever to find. You have no idea how many moms and crazy stores I’ve passed by...” 

“Oh my god! You found it!” Cheryl cheers happily, clapping her hands rapidly. She throws herself to hug Toni tightly. “Oh, I love you!” 

“…yeah, you should. You know babe, this plus the pancakes stuffed with freeze-dried coffee granules and the bacon burger chocolate bars supplement shit are the most weird things you’ve ever eaten- it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen someone eat, actually.” Toni laughs.

“Yes, well, say what you want but it makes me happy and for what I know, this is majorly important to you, isn’t it?” Cheryl shrugs opening her weeks-waited ice cream.

“You’re right. Seeing you happy does be the most important thing in my life… you’re right.” Toni says lowly eyeing adoringly her beautiful wife as she licks the entire of her index finger previously dipped in the ice cream.  
In those moments a familiar wave of _I’m so in love with her_ feelings travel Toni’s body.

“When am I not?” Cheryl smirks.

Toni just chuckles and grabs her own food from the bag.

They eat, laugh, chat, just enjoy their so rare lunch date with each other as the time pass by so quickly and their respective jobs take over them again for the rest of the day.

***

Cheryl groans, shifting in her bed for the hundredth time since the past hour. 

It’s been the same routine for a few nights now, and she knows very well that this is not going to end soon. It’s not complicated: the big bump which serves as a house to the tiny growing Topaz, is avoiding the poor awfully tired Cheryl any comfortable positions to promote restorative sleep. There’s only three possible positions: lying on the right side, the left side and on the back.

This is, to Cheryl’s opinion, the worst part of the pregnancy. This and throwing up. And peeing all the time. And being hungry all the time. And the baby kicking all the time. Okay… maybe a lot of the pregnancy is getting on her nerves but a lot of other stuff make it so good to live… and one of them is going to happen as Cheryl feels Toni moving besides her.

“Babe?” Toni mumbles as she flips over to face Cheryl on the other side of the bed. “You okay?” she gets up on her elbow and rubs her eyes to see her wife properly. She hears Cheryl groaning again and instantly she makes her diagnosis. “It’s the baby, isn’t it?” she sighs smiling tiredly. 

“It’s been almost an hour since I’ve been trying to sleep and it’s kicking so much and I can’t sleep, TT. Tomorrow, I have this super important meeting-” 

“No, baby, don’t cry…” Toni pleads softly seeing as a few tears escape the corner of her eyes. It happened a few times now, when to much things overwhelm her, she cries .

“I can’t- I-I just wanna-” Cheryl whines still crying.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Toni tries to calm her down, smiling at how cute Cheryl can be. She wipes away the hot sad tears with her thumb. “What can I do to help?”

Cheryl sniffs and whispers back “It likes the sound of your voice. Maybe-”

“Okay, I got it. You, just try to relax, okay?” she kisses Cheryl’s cheek.

“mkay...” she sniffs as Toni goes lower until she’s at the medium-sized bump’s level.

“Hey? You hear me, kid?… How’bout I tell you a little story so you can sleep?…Yes, okay, good.” Toni begins to rub tenderly the bump in slow circle motions. She instantly smiles feeling the energetic kicks. 

Cheryl tries and re positions herself to relax. 

“Oh, I got one… It happened like a month ago.” Toni giggles finding a fun story to tell. “I remember that night like yesterday. I was siting in the dinning table, editing some photos for work.” Cheryl feels the baby’s kicks beginning to stop at Toni’s smooth voice and delicate touch. “Everything was fine, some relaxing background music was playing and the night was pretty peaceful. Until-” Cheryl cuts her off giggling.

“Oh no, Toni, don’t tell her this story. I thought you promised me not to speak about this again.” she looks down at Toni blushing lightly. But then she whines feeling the baby kicking violently.

“See? Even the baby wants to know the story.” Toni smiles. “Now lay back down and relax.” she waits for Cheryl to do it and continues to tell the story. “So, I was saying- everything was perfectly fine until your crazy of a mommy came bursting through the open living room, red like a tomato and smoke escaping her nostrils, holding a black lace bra.” she laughs at the memory.

[ _“Uh…you okay, babe?” says Toni confused about Cheryl’s state. The redhead is literally fuming._

_“Who owns this bra?” she says between gritted teeth, the jaw clenched tightly._

_Toni frowns getting up from her chair to approach Cheryl in order to see properly the confusing object. She takes off her working glasses and shakes her head.  
“I don’t know, it’s probably yours-”_

_“Of course it’s not mine, Toni!” Cheryl semi yells shaking the bra she currently holds with the tips of her pointer finger and her thumb in front of Toni’s face. “It’s neither mine, nor yours. So to whose the fuck are these?!”_

_“I don’t know! Stop screaming at me!” Toni matches Cheryl’s tone, growing angry at the fact that Cheryl thinks that she’s cheating on her. And then it hits her. “Oh! My bad- I remember-” She says suddenly laughing.  
She takes the lacy bra as Cheryl’s eyes widens._

_“What?!”_

_“Let me explain, baby…” she laughs inspecting the label inside the bra._

_“I don’t think there’s much to explain: a woman-”_

_“I’m stopping you before you say something you’ll regret.” Toni says tilting her head to the side. Cheryl immediately stops but still is red from anger. Toni goes on.  
“Where did you find it?” _

_Cheryl clench her jaw tighter and looks right in Toni’s soft eyes with her owns filled with venom. “Behind your closet.”_

_“Behind the closet, exactly.” Toni smiles nodding in approval. Cheryl frowns looking at her like she’s lost her mind. ‘why the hell does she smile??’ she thinks.  
“This was supposed to be yours. I remember, something like two months ago, I bought you this” she explains shaking the bra and showing the visible intact label “for your birthday. But I quickly realized that the size I used to buy you was no longer current since your boobs are ten times bigger because of the little babe here” she puts both her palms (now free since Cheryl took the bra to inspect it) on Cheryl’s belly. “On the moment, I think... you were about to enter the room or something that stressed me out, so I just threw it behind the closet for you not to see it. Apparently I forgot it completely...” _

_Cheryl is now blushing furiously. She drops the hand holding the bra at her side and puts her other on top of Toni’s. “I’m sorry...” she says quietly._

_“Yeah… let’s just put this on the pregnancy hormones.” Toni chukles._ ]

“… but it was pretty funny, though.” she laughs to the baby. She looks up and see Cheryl fast asleep snoring lightly. “That’s it. It was the story of ‘How cleaning brings to ‘I think my wife is cheating on me’” 

She sows a few kisses everywhere around the bowl-formed belly and goes back up arranging the covers to sleep.

She kisses Cheryl’s cheek then feels Cheryl turning her head tiredly to kiss her softly on the lips. After the fast but lovely peck, Cheryl turns back around and brings with her Toni’s hand, which she places on her stomach. Toni just pleasurably accept the big spoon position and cuddles close to her wife.

***

Cheryl looks around the room. 

There’s a few pregnant women. One on the left, sitting with who she supposes is her mother. Another, with a completely flat belly, a few chairs to her left, accompanied by two men on each side looking extremely anxious. 

_'I wonder who’s the daddy too'_ Cheryl thinks. 

She turns her head to the left and see an extremely young girl, a couples of months pregnant by the size of her bump, all alone. It immediately makes her think about Polly and then by substitution Jason. She rapidly looks elsewhere to prevent her from thinking about her past brother. She sees another few couples sitting in the waiting room of the gynecology section of the hospital.

Toni and her are sitting in the middle of a chairs row in the waiting room.  
Toni is sitting close to Cheryl. On her right. Legs crossed, her left arm around Cheryl’s shoulders, fingers interlaced with Cheryl’s (her left hand as well). Her other hand is holding her phone between them to. 

Toni’s entirely focused on her phone while Cheryl looks around. 

The couple has been waiting for their appointment for about a quarter of an hour now. 

It’s been the third by now. Without counting the countless meetings to ‘conceive’ the baby.

“Wha’d’you think about this orange?” Toni asks referring to the room for their child.

Cheryl turns her head toward Toni’s then looks at the phone. “Mmm-nah. Feels too vibrant. We need something more soothing…” 

Toni frowns. “Isn’t it soothing enough? I find it quiet relaxing.” Toni says lowly looking at Cheryl questioningly.

“Well, the shade is darker than the last you showed me. I feel it. It’s not the right one.” 

When Toni was about to reply her statement, a nurse call their name so they get up and follows the kind young woman to their doctor’s office.

As they arrive in front of the opened door, the nurse goes back to her office down the corridor. The couple see the doctor (in charge of them since the beginning) cleaning his materials and arranging the paper on top of the hospital bed.

They enters the room after knocking. 

“Oh! Cheryl, Toni! How are you ladies doing?” the young doctor asks enthusiastically.

The couple look to each other smiling brightly and say at the same time “Great.”  
The doctor leads them to his desk where the couple sit in front of him.

“Amazing.” He says finishing to prepare the few things. “Okay, so, what term are you now?” 

“24 weeks now.” Cheryl says happily taking Toni’s hand and interlacing their fingers.

“Good...” he says writing something on his gray file with the name ‘TOPAZ’ encrypted at the top left. He looks at them, smiling. “So, how’s the pregnancy so far? And the question is for the two of you.” he smiles towards Toni.

Cheryl goes first. “Well, it’s been awesome except maybe morning vomiting, the common hungers, the lack of energy…” she sees the doctor nod and giggle softly.

“Yeah, unfortunately, it’s a part of it all. I can prescribe you some vitamins, weak stimulative to arouse no dangers for the baby for the energy part but the rest… we must make do, sorry.” he laughs politely.

“Yes, thank you.” 

“No problem. And you miss?” referring to Toni.

“Oh! It’s… amazing. I’m enjoying, seeing my wife emotionally unstable, so cute all the time.” She teases Cheryl looking at her as the redhead looks back at her rolling her eyes but smiling contagiously.

“Hahaha, yes the pre-”

“Pregnancy hormones” the couple and the doctor say at the same time. They laughs together a little. Then the doctor asks another question while writing some things.

“Did it start to kick?”

“Oh my god, yes. Awfully hard.” Cheryl says dramatically. She hears Toni chuckle besides her.

“Oh? You two may have a trouble maker growing up...” he says still taking notes.

“It’s an expression right?” Cheryl asks seeing the doctor chuckle.

The doctor just laughs looking at Cheryl, who’s dead serious. “Yes. Maybe…” he mumbles the last part so the couple don’t hear him. “So, today is about to discover if it’s a ‘he’ or a ‘she’. Right. You two ready?” 

After he hears them say ‘yes’, he stands up and leads them to the blue bed with a couple of machines aside to it.  
He explains to Cheryl to lay on the paper wrapped bed and higher her shirt. They do as said and Cheryl immediately takes Toni’s hand and holds it tightly. 

While the doctor prepares the machines, Cheryl turns to look up at Toni standing besides the bed and asks “Okay, last guess.” 

“I’m 85% sure it’s a girl.” she smiles down at her. “You?”

“I think you’re right...” Cheryl says shivering at the cold transparent liquid that’s just been spread on top of her belly. Toni lowers herself a bit and pecks her lips once softly.

“Alright mommies, here is the baby.” the doctor says as the three of them are staring at the screen showing a little baby. Cheryl feels Toni squeezing her hand, and she knows she’s smiling widely.  
“Hey, it’s a beautiful baby.” he says showing the different body members. “Okay, I’m gonna go from another angle to better see the reproductive system...” he moves the device around Cheryl’s belly.

The couple is so focused on the screen. 

There’s a dead silence when…

“Oh! I think we have a girl! Congratulations!” he cheers turning around and looking at two smiling women. Cheryl smiles widely and literally have tears in her eyes. 

Toni brings their joined hands to her face a places a firm kiss to the back of Cheryl’s. Cheryl turns around to look at Toni and says “You were right. We are having a little girl.” 

Toni smiles just as excited as her wife. “We are.” 

“Lets get the mommies their souvenir photo.”


	5. It’s happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things happen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I am so sorry for disappearing for two months like this... honestly I don't know what happened. I think I just didn't really feel like writing and I perfectly know that when I force myself to, I make crap- just like when I draw...
> 
> I hope you are all okay and in good health... I know that we are going through some hard shit right now and that the situation is difficult to deal with (for all of us), but let's just hope it'll all finish soon.  
> (one thing I hate from all thing is the fact that teachers think we don't do shit and just chilling all the time so they throw us a mountain of homework...) 
> 
> Anyways! there I give you all choni lovers some fluffy stuff! As usual, I hope you'll enjoy.

**[32-37 weeks]**

Cheryl fills two mugs with hot Russian Earl Grey tea. 

The perfect way to end the day, to her opinion. The perfect way to relax. The perfect way to let yourself feel entirely released. All your muscles melting under the heat and the beautifully scented tea herbs.

So after finishing filling the two ceramic mugs, a blood red one with gold crypted little letters ‘C.T’ in fancy calligraphy, and another, a white one with the sentence ‘BEST MOMMA EVER’ written in baby pink; she makes her way towards the dinning table.  
The sight of the white mug is still making Cheryl smile cutely. This mug was a gift for Cheryl’s beloved Toni from the former Blossom herself. She has chosen it as a way to announce to her that she was officially pregnant and she will always remember the expression on Toni’s face when she understood after frowning for a moment... the tears ready to loose their grip on her eyes as she looked up at her in complete disbelief... 

“Careful, it’s boiling.” the redhead warns quietly as she passes the white mug to its respective owner.

Toni looks up to Cheryl and takes her hands off her laptop to greet the hot tea. “Thanks babe” she mutters as quietly, smiling contently at the wonderful scent.

Cheryl makes her way around Toni’s chair, watching the laptop screen. She then makes place for herself on her wife’s lap, sitting comfortably sideways across her legs (since high school, Toni has always been her favorite chair by far). Toni instantly places her arm around her waist protectively, her hand landing affectionately on the side of Cheryl’s enormous belly.

“What are you working on?” Cheryl asks, seeing the many papers scattered around on the modern, black dinning table. She keeps blowing softly on the tea she’s currently palming with both her hands, to make it cool down. 

“Uh, just selecting some photos for some model’s book...” Toni answers, placing gently the mug on the table. She notices her redhead picking some photos from the table, going through her taken pictures, exploring them with adoration. Toni uses her free hand to take off her working glasses, placing them next to her mug and rubbing her eyes with her fingers, clearly exhausted.

She turns her head up towards her lover, smiling. “So… tell me, how was your first day of maternity leave?” 

Getting close to the end of the pregnancy, since this morning, the redhead is on maternity leave for three good months at least.  
A part of her is relieved because it was becoming difficult to deal with the pain in multiple parts of her body. Her head is pounding 24/7, her legs aren’t as useful as usual since walking demands a lot of energy, her lower back is hurting as hell…etc. Toni is honestly impressed that her wife never complained, but she knows she is suffering when she climbs the stairs or something. She’s always helping her, since she knows Cheryl has too much pride to ask for it sometimes...  
However the other part of herself is annoyed because now, she is held away from her job and probably loosing the fierce competition against Daniel Ross, the handsome lawyer in her firm she’s constantly battling with, for the title of the best lawyer of the year.

“Well, my TT,” she begins, placing the pictures back on their place, “the first word that comes to my mind to describe this day is, without any doubts: boring.”  
Toni chuckles lightly, already apprehending an answer like this. She sows sweet kisses on the side of her pale neck, still listening to her. “I read a bit, baked some of my wonderful cookies and- _oh_...” she moaned lowly when Toni reached her sensitive point, putting gently her hand on Toni’s nape and scratching lightly into the hairline with her iconic sharp-red nails, but continues “and I tried prenatal yoga...” 

She hears Toni humming in approval against her neck, making the skin vibrate pleasingly. The former gang member detaches her lips from the soft skin. “Sounds relaxing...”

“It was, I think… a little at least, but I already miss my job.”

Toni chuckles again, getting back to work on her laptop.

 _Not surprising at all_ , she thinks.

Cheryl gets back to looking around at the beautifully shot photos, but without touching them anymore, since one hand was holding her mug and the other too preoccupied playing with Toni’s baby hairs. 

But suddenly, a paper caught her attention. 

When dealing with tons of official documents at the law firm, Cheryl knew when she saw one. White, with fine definitions of folds, that told her it was folded in three and sent in an envelope. 

Thinking it was an invoice to pay or something like it, she detached her hand from Toni’s neck and reached forward to grab it. Toni didn’t seem to have noticed, too focused in her work.

Cheryl rapidly reads the letter in her hands. 

Her frowning expression is fast to disappear through the lecture, replacing itself with deep annoyance and disappointment. Her gaze switch aside to fall on the concentrated facial expression of her wife. Her chin leans downwards, eyes angrily staring at Toni’s.

Toni feels the insistent pair of eyes on her and turns her head to face Cheryl. She frowns at the redhead expression.

“Seriously?” Cheryl snaps, her voice low.

“What?” Toni's eyes lower down to the paper Cheryl holds.

Cheryl turns the paper around so she can see. She watches carefully her face as Toni throw a glance at the paper. Fast enough, Toni sighs and looks up to her redheaded wife again with understanding this time.

“I… was gonna talk to you about this...”

Cheryl stays still, looks down at her, waiting.

“I’m so sorry...” Toni says quietly.

And Cheryl avoids her gaze, having enough and preferring to look away. A short moment of silence later and the redhead gets up off of Toni’s lap and makes her way out of the room.

Toni sighs, but tries to call her back. “Cher, wait...”

*

Toni slowly but surely approaches the room, the baby’s future bedroom, watching Cheryl who is standing up in front of the white-wooden-expensive-looking crib, caressing a small teddy bear.

She knocks two times quietly on the door frame, leaning on it.

Cheryl’s head turns instinctively towards the sound, but seeing the face of the , she just looks back down at the soft plush again.

“My heart… I’m really sorry.” she says entering the room.

“Oh, really?” Cheryl snaps, turning around to face her. “Aren’t you relieved? On the exact same day, Toni, the same day you have photography escapade with important clients. Saved by the bell, right! I know you didn’t even want to come in first hand!”

“That is not true.” 

Cheryl raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow, not believing her one second.

Toni disarms herself almost immediately. “Okay!- maybe I didn’t want to come to this parenting class, but I said yes for you… because I love you-” 

“Toni.” Cheryl cuts her off. 

A pause. 

“You promised me.” she finally says, softly.

“I know… And I’m sorry for this as well.” Toni says as softly, watching as Cheryl rolls her eyes in annoyance. 

Tired of all her apologies.

Toni sighs through her nose and wets her bottom lip with her tongue. “Listen,” she says approaching Cheryl. “I’ll only be gone for a day but-”

“And of course it has to be this particular day. _Le comble._ ”

“I know, but it isn’t my fault.”

“It’s never your fault, Toni.” she throws back sternly.

Toni sighs again, starting to loose her cool. “We can always take another class toge-”

“So, it’s decided? You’re not gonna be there.”

“Cheryl we’re talking about work here.”

“And we’re talking about our baby here.”

“Oh come on, learning how to change a diaper and prepare a baby bottle isn’t significant- it’s not _this_ important.” she finally says loosing her cool completely. Her voice has been raising a bit and her brows srunching in.

“But it was important to me...” Cheryl says softly, creating a contrast with Toni’s slightly raised voice. At her tone, Toni’s face softens instantly and she feels sorry for raising her voice without even noticing it. 

“Oh… baby, I feel _so_ bad right now.” she says barely above a whisper, now standing right next to her wife. She rubs affectionately Cheryl’s forearms, sensing as she immediately relaxes at the touch. “How about we register for a class a little sooner than the two-weeks-away one, so we can be together at least once?...” she hears Cheryl sniff and feels even worse.

“I’m going to cancel the other class.” the redhead mutters.

“No, why?”

“Because,” she raises her head to look at Toni. “I don’t want to be in a room where a dozen of happy couples are parenting while I’m all by myself dealing with a faux silicone baby’s poop.” 

Toni chuckles soundly, amused and relieved of the sense of humor proving that Cheryl's not that upset.  
She slides behind Cheryl, hugging her as her hands draws gentle circles on the big baby bump. She softly kisses on the crook of her neck, just separating once to plead “Forgive me...” with a honeyed voice.

Cheryl closes her eyes to enjoy the attention, tilting her head backwards and to the side. Her hands let the tiny teddy bear fall in the crib, and instead grip the side of the cradle to keep herself balanced. Though Toni’s already supporting the half of her weight with how she’s leaning into her.

Toni brings her kisses higher until she’s close enough to her ear, and whisper finally “I’ll make it up to you…” with a little smile dancing on her lips.

Cheryl smiles as well, rolling her eyes again, but this time playfully.

***

Turning the tap off, Cheryl sighs and steps out of the shower. Her view becomes instantly clear and focused unlike a moment ago, when her surroundings were all blur from the steam of the deliciously hot shower, keeping her out of this world and sending her into a more silence one, and even more blur… to think, she might say. 

Shower was always a good place to think. Even if you didn’t mean to. 

She reaches out to the nicely folded towels, but before she can take one and cover herself, she finds herself standing in front of the big mirror. She stops for a second, dropping her extended arm and just stares at herself. Not in an egocentric way, no. Just in a reflexive way, just thinking. Thinking about all the way she and Toni have come. 

Placing both her hands on her basketball-sized belly, she lets her tender palms caressing the wet skin. A small smile appears at the corner of her lips, unconsciously. Quick flashes of the past year come through her mind. All the obstacles they had to overcome to finally access to their dream. Flashes of the consults, flashes of the “donor type” papers, flashes of the tears, flashes of the disappointment and sadness in Toni’s eyes, flashes of negative pregnancy tests… more flashes of consults and then flashes of pregnancy tests again, then tears again- but happy ones -and flashes of joyful smiles, flashes of mountains of baby items, flashes of a happy future… 

She hasn’t realized, but her smile widened through her intense thinking session. She bites into the flesh of her bottom lip to stop herself from thinking more because she feels her cheeks hurting. She breaths out deeply and forces her eyes off of the mirror and goes to grab the pure-tin-colored towel, enveloping herself in it. After a few moments of arranging some stuff, she slips her feet into her slippers and gets out of the en suite. 

A shiver runs almost immediately down her spine. She looks around to know from where is this sudden cool air coming. Her gaze settle to the bay window of her large bedroom, which is half opened, but more precisely on the curved frame leaning against the railing of the bedroom’s balcony. She slowly makes her way towards her wife, eyes sometimes landing on the disordered smoke flying in the air from the ‘cancer-stick’- she’d like to call it -Toni’s currently holding, between her fingers. She knows Toni doesn’t smoke all the times, she knows it’s only when she needs one, so it doesn't bother her more than that, she finds it hot actually but will never say it out loud.

“Hey.” she says softly, arriving at the window level and leaning against it.

Toni turns around, welcoming her with a small smile. “Hey.” she smashes the finished cigarette against the ashtray on the small table, then makes her way towards the redhead. “How was your shower, love?” she asks.

“Hot and watery.” she jokes, smirking when Toni rolls her eyes playfully.

“Don’t stay here, you’ll catch a cold...” she says, pushing her gently inside and closing the sliding door behind her. 

“TT...?” Cheryl asks, frowning lightly and putting both her palms on the sides of Toni’s neck. 

“Hmm?” Toni hums rubbing her hands on Cheryl’s back arms and shoulders.

“My my quadriceps and calves hurt me badly every time I walk,” Toni smirks, knowing perfectly where she wants to go... “and the rugby balls that serve as my feet are-”

“Oh… How ‘bout a gentle massage, I could use my magic hands to make you feel good...” she smiles genuinely, watching Cheryl bite her bottom lip at the light teasing. _She will never ask for help… my proud baby._

“Well if you insist...” Cheryl smiles, already feeling better just at the thought of the delicious massage that awaits her. 

Toni chuckles, shaking her head slightly. “Mhmm… Go change into something comfortable while I’ll prepare everything.” Cheryl pecks her lips and pulls away, making her way towards the closet for pyjamas (certainly Toni’s clothes).

*

Cheryl moans of happiness following the wonders that Toni does to her sore legs. She feels like all the gentle yet firm pressure of Toni's palms and pads of finger are making her every muscles melting instantly. The smell of the essential oils mixed with the one of the brand new scented candle (a gift from the baby shower) amplifies the feeling of goodness and relaxation. 

“Stop moaning like that… it’s ridiculously turning me on.” Cheryl hears Toni mumbling from below and chuckles.

“I can’t help it, you’re so good...” Cheryl replies, closing her eyes again and enjoying the wonderful feeling. A comfortable silence is back again, only the light sound of a James Vickery song playing in the background, settling a peaceful atmosphere.

The calmness gave Cheryl time to think about a little earlier in the evening. 

“TT ?” she calls softly.

“Yeah?” 

“You were smoking… Is something bothering you, my love?”

Toni looks up at her without stopping the massage, making eye contact with her beloved. “Oh, no, it’s… nothing… just- felt like needing to...” she smiles reassuringly (or tries at least). But Cheryl’s not reassured and narrows her eyes the slightest bit.

_Toni, not confidently forming sentences, breaking eye contact this fast and gesturing a forced "I'm fine" smile?… no, something’s up._

“Toni… what is it?” she asks gently, straightening hardly into a siting position against the headboard, prompting Toni to stop massaging her.

“No, really Cher, it’s nothing…” Toni says looking straight into the pair of brown orbs she know so well, but fails again at keeping eye contact, preferring to look down at her hands while she cleans them with the white towel.

Cheryl sighs and taps two times gently on the comforter, the place right next to her- asking (without a word) for Toni to come sit there. Politely, Toni moves next to her and waits. Cheryl just takes her now clean hand and higher up her over-sized t-shirt (Toni’s, as predicted) and puts that hand on the baby’s house. It was her super power: every time she wanted for someone to talk from the bottom of their heart, she just had them feeling the light kicks of her baby, and it slowly got them out of their sorrows and completely relaxed, this way they talked about everything and nothing. It worked with her best friends so far, but she never tried with Toni since she always told her everything.

Toni’s confused for a moment, eyeing Cheryl questioningly. “Cheryl, wha-”

“Shh.” Cheryl cuts her off.

Toni instantly closes her mouth, not saying anything anymore. She smiles unconsciously, feeling the kicks. 

Cheryl feels Toni moving to a more comfortable position against her as well as her forearm muscles relaxing slowly. She allows the tanned-skin hand to move around looking for further movements. She places softly Toni’s head on her shoulder.  
“Tell me what’s going on...” she says barely above a whisper.

Toni finally eases up, exhaling deeply. “Just-… Sweet Pea texted me earlier… He was catching me up as usual and…”

“Go on, sweetheart.” Cheryl encourages gently.

“My grandpa’s not fine… something’s happened and his heart stopped beating. He’s at the hospital right now. He’s holding but… I don’t know for how long.”

“Oh, TT...” Cheryl turns around to face her. Her heart breaks into thousand pieces when she sees the tears threatening to fall from her lover’s eyes.

“I know he wasn’t really there for me but- he’s family, you know? He actually cared for me… I told him to stop drinking- I- I should've cared about him more-”

“No, TT…” Cheryl shushes her, caressing the back of her head as she cries softly into her neck. She feels the hard yet gentle hold Toni’s strong arms have on her, hugging her frankly. “None of this is your fault. You couldn't predict it, okay? I’m sure he's in good hands there-” 

“The Riverdale General’s doctors aren’t Christina Yang...” Cheryl hears Toni mumbles. She chuckles, grateful for the positivity that joke shows.

Toni pulls away from Cheryl’s neck, wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve-covered-wrist. Cheryl smiles at the cuteness of her wife and reaches behind her for the tissue box on her nightstand and offering one to Toni who eagerly take it and cleans herself with.

“We should go see him.” Cheryl sighs.

“No, it’s too risky to take the plane when you’ll soon give birth.”

“Well, go alone.”

“No, I’m not leaving you all by yourself. God knows what will happen if I’m gone.”

“Toni… your grandpa…we don’t know if he-”

“I know… let’s- let’s just hope everything’s fine.”

“Yeah.” Cheryl finishes “Come on, it’s late, we should sleep.” she tries to get up to help her clean everything up but Toni stops her and helps her settle for sleep saying that she got it.

As said, Toni takes the candle and the massage’s supplies back to their original places and goes to the bathroom to wash her hands and teeth. Se comes back to bed to a fast asleep Cheryl. She tucks herself in the covers and cuddles close to her wife after kissing her soundly on the lips.

***

“Come on Cheryl, I don’t wanna be late again!” Cheryl hears Toni yell from downstairs. 

They have a friends’ brunch to attend to in less than 10 minutes.  
It’s Cheryl’s and her friends’ thing, to have brunch and chat, gossip, judge enemies and argue on the best Christian Louboutin heels. The most boring thing after shopping to Toni. She remembers Cheryl having those sorts of meeting with Josie, Veronica and Kevin in the past. But she hated from the deepest part of her heart all of those girls’ things. And here she is, waiting for Cheryl to get ready, clearly tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. The last time they got late, 30 minutes late, Toni ended up staying at Cheryl’s friend’s house for the entire evening, listening to advices about makeup and romantic restaurants locations. The only reasons she accepts to endure this torture for 3 hours is because of the good food but mostly because Cheryl promises her that she can do _everything_ she wants to her after it… yeah, Cheryl knows how to convince Toni.

Not hearing any signs of agreement, Toni calls her again for the hundredth time in the past 20 minutes. “Cheryl!” she sighs angrily and says through greeted teeth “I swear to god-” and makes her way upstairs to their bedroom.

Turning the doorknob, Toni excepts for Cheryl to be putting lipstick on arrange her hair last minute, she surely wasn’t excepting her to be sitting on the end of the bed not doing anything.

“Cheryl, what the hell are you doing? We’re gonna be so late- I’m not staying at Mia’s all night again.” Toni looks at Cheryl really confused, not understanding why she avoids eye contact and doesn’t move a finger. “Cheryl?” she says approaching her. Her eyes drop to the laces undone of her air force one. She looks back up to Cheryl’s frustrated expression. “Baby, are you okay?” 

Not hearing anything, she slightly panics. She moves to sit next to her and gently takes her chin, turning her head to face her. “What’s wrong?” 

“I’m too fat to wear my beloved red high heels so I chose to wear snickers. But I’m too fat to make my shoelaces- I can’t even reach them.” at the last part, Cheryl’s voice cracks and she almost cries at the fact. 

_Mood swings._

Toni chuckles softly, pained for her wife. She smiles sadly, reassured it’s nothing worse. She leans in to kiss her pouting lips, lingering a little making Cheryl whine softly. She then kneels down in front of her and make her shoelaces. “Baby, you aren’t fat. You’re just pregnant. And looking so damn good all the time.” she says knowing the redhead have some issues finding beauty in herself. 

“My heels make my butt look better…” Cheryl complains, standing up with Toni’s help.

“Yeah, but it’ll always be the best butt I laid my eyes on.” Toni smiles, supporting Cheryl by an arm around her lower back and leading her out of the bedroom.

“Wait- ‘cause you laid eyes on other butts to compare?” Cheryl raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow, looking rather betrayed.

“What? No… No, of course not.” Toni shakes her head eagerly.

“Mhmm...”

“Anyways, babe- next time you’re stuck like that, call me, okay? It’s okay to be helped” Toni says as they made it past the stairs.

“I don’t need help.”

“Oh, no, of course you don’t- sorry” Toni says, dropping ‘accidentally’ the car’s keys on the floor in front of Cheryl, but continues to walk like she hadn’t noticed.

“TT, you dropped the keys.” Cheryl says, pointing them.

“Oh crap, can you give them to me please?” she says waiting outside front door.  
She watches as Cheryl glares coldly at her, clearly not enjoying the joke. She smiles and comes back to take them.

“I really don’t appreciate you making fun of me, TT.”

“Nah, I’m sorry, I’ll stop. Promise.” she giggles, taking Cheryl’s neck to kiss her cheek fondly. “Come on, we’re so late.”

“Oh shut up, you just want your reward...” Cheryl accuses.

“Yeah, well…- just get in the car.”

***

“Babe, I’m home!” Toni says as she enters the house through the front door. She doesn’t hear a response and frowns slightly. She takes her jacket off her forearm and hangs it on the coat hanger next to the door. She drops her photography bag and her chic black satchel- containing her laptop and a few papers -on top of the kitchen counter as she makes her way to the fridge for a Budweiser. As she opens the fridge, she calls for her wife again “Cheryl?”, but now she gets a response.

“Garden!” she hears Cheryl yell.

Walking towards the bay window overlooking the large garden, Toni sees Cheryl, turned to face the vast greenery, in front of a grand canvas already half painted beautifully with light-colored flowers. Toni immediately melts at the sight and runs back to the kitchen to take camera. When she comes back, she thinks the mid-spring light is perfect, the angle she chooses is perfectly showing Cheryl’s enormous belly and the painting, the small smile Cheryl has on from satisfaction perhaps is as luminous as the rays of the sun which lights up her orange mane wonderfully. Everything is perfect, she thinks as she doesn't hesitate to take a few shots.

Looking at her shots on her camera screen, she rectifies her statement. _She is perfect. I married a perfection._

She sighs dreamily, and poses her camera on the couch, retaking her beer from the coffee table and making her way to the covered wooden terrace. She approaches the redhead and sings “Hey.” 

Cheryl looks up, smiling. “Hi.”  
Toni leans down the ‘kiss hello’ her, putting her hand on the back of Cheryl’s head gently, lingering a moment, transforming the simple kiss into a passionate one which surprises Cheryl pleasingly as she hums into it. When Toni pulls away with stars in the eyes, Cheryl grins widely making an ‘are you okay?’ playful face. “What was that for?” she asks, still with her wide smile. 

“…I don’t know, I just love you so much…” Toni replies, shrugging nonchalantly as she sits on one of the gray deckchair a couple of feet aside Cheryl.

“Aww… I love you two, my love.” Cheryl giggles, still not completely understanding what was it for but she doesn’t complies and focuses back on her painting.

“This is really beautiful, Cher… you’re incredibly talented.” Toni remarks, pointing the canvas with her beer. 

“Thank you,” Cheryl smiles, she turns to look at Toni laying childishly on the deckchair and asks “You like it?”

“Yeah, a lot.” Toni nods. Her serious face makes Cheryl chuckle and blush adorably.

A peaceful silence settles in, letting the few birdsong, the light brush strokes and the muffled noises of distant cars create a quiet and relaxing atmosphere…

“Hey…you remember my friend, Brad? Brad Tanner?” Toni asks Cheryl, remembering something important she wanted to discuss with her. 

“The tall blond?”Cheryl asks trying to associate the name with a face.

“Yeah. Well, his wife gave birth last week.” she says with a grin, looking at the distance. “He is so happy, he only talks about his kid- Ricky -all the time.” she makes eye contact with Cheryl who smiles softly. “And that made me think… what are we naming our baby?”

“Oh- my god, that’s right, we didn’t talk about it...”

“Yeah…”

“Do you have ideas?”

“Uhh...” Toni thinks “What about… Samantha?” she proposes.

“Samantha Topaz…mm, nah, the two ‘T’s together: not so fan.” 

“Clover?” 

“… are you going to quote me all the Totally Spies?” Cheryl chuckles.

“Um, no. It just came up like that.”

“Well, what about Chloe? I always liked this name.”

“I dated a Chloe one time...” Toni says nonchalantly as she takes her phone out of her back pocket.

“When?”

“Uh… way before I met you- she was a bitch, she cheated on me. The Chloes are cheaters. My kid isn’t a cheater.” she says firmly, tapping on her phone.

“Alright…” the redhead says puzzled. She shakes her head and focuses back on the details of her white flower. “Émilie? Ending with -ie not -y.”

“You want a French name?” Toni smiles not looking up from her phone.

“Yes, I do. And, hey, it will be in line with yours.” Cheryl smiles.

“Mhmm… Alexandra? And we could surname her Alex, wha’d’you think?”

“I don’t think a name ending in A would sound properly with Topaz, in fact.” Cheryl frowns.

“Yeah, you’re right… uh, Camille?” Toni nods, looking at her phone.

“No.”

“Chanel?”

“Nah.”

“Clarisse?”

“Babe, are these names coming from websites?” Cheryl asks, looking at Toni who looks at her phone.

“Yeah.”

“No, Toni, don’t ruin it- I want us to find it ourselves.” Cheryl whines, waving her paint brush to indicate Toni to put her phone down. “Put that phone down, will you?”

Toni rolls her eyes and drops her phone next to her on the deckchair, screen facing the floor, and puts her hands up in surrender. 

“…What about Meghan? no, Reagan? Juliet? Margar-”

“Oh, Juliette! She gave a kick for Juliette, Toni!” Cheryl exclaims with a wide smile, immediately making Toni smile.

“Really?”

“Yes! And I like it. Do-do you like it?” she says excitedly.

“Yeah, very- so in French style?”

“With two T and an E at the end. What do you think? -Juliette Topaz.” Cheryl asks all smiley.

“I think we found it.” Toni nods. “Wait, and what about her middle name?”

“Oh, um -well let’s just let her decide?” Cheryl smirks.

Toni smirks and sits up balancing her legs on the side of the deckchair. She grips the side of it and approaches it to Cheryl’s wooden little stool, now sitting next to her. She put one of her hands on Cheryl’s belly making the redhead giggle cutely. Cheryl puts her brushes away, cleans rapidly her hands and finally puts one of her hands on top of Toni’s.

“Okay, we say names and… see what she decides.” Toni says.

“Okay. You go first.” 

“okay, uh… Emma.”

_Nothing._

“Harper.”

_Nothing._

“… Madison.”

_Absolutely nothing._

“Grace.”

_Rien._

“Uh, Zoey?”

_Still nothing._

“… Cassidy.”

_Bam Bam_

“Oh!” the two girls exclaims together, laughing at the two energetic kicks.

“God, she really likes that name.” Toni giggles, leaning down to kiss the baby bump making Cheryl go through another wave of light laughter. “So I guess it’ll be Juliette Cassidy Topaz.” Toni smiles satisfied.

“That sounds so good!” Cheryl cheers. She cups both Toni’s cheeks and kiss her firmly, the two of them smiling into the passionate kiss. 

***

“Inbeed, you shounan have said that.” Cheryl mumbles through the cloud of toothpaste in her mouth. She rolls her eyes, annoyed at Toni.

“I’m sorry! I figu-ed they knew I knew since you to-d me.” Toni defends herself, mumbling while brushing her teeth next to Cheryl. She feels very sorry for whatever she did. 

Cheryl leans down and spits in the en suite sink.  
“But Toni, when I tell you something I expect you to keep it for yourself, not to shout it on all the roofs.” Cheryl sighs. She watches Toni spit and lean back up.

“You didn’t tell me it was a secret…” Toni says while opening the tap. She watches Cheryl rinse her mouth and put her brush back in her mouth. “I’m sorry, but you should’ve be more specific...” she says watching as suddenly Cheryl stops all movements and looks into space.  
“Cher, I said I was sorry, I didn’t know.” Cheryl doesn’t move and frowns. “Baby, are you seriously mad?” Toni sighs clearly disappointed, but the redhead doesn’t move again and her gaze is worried. Toni frowns. “Cheryl?” Cheryl finally looks up to Toni, with eyes big and questioning looking which makes Toni worry instantly. “You okay?” 

“I think my waters just broke.” Cheryl says looking at Toni and gripping firmly the sink.

Toni’s eyes widen. She blinks a few times and looks down to see Cheryl’s red satin pants wet. She looks back up again, her mouth opening and closing a few times not knowing what to say, before smiling shakily making Cheryl smile contagiously. “Okay.” is all she can say. “Okay, just- sit down.” Toni says gently, putting her arm securely around Cheryl’s middle back and leading her towards the toilet seat and making her sit down slowly. “Alright, uh- I- Imma call the hospital to get you a room, I’ll prepare a bag with- with a few necessary things, yeah- yeah, okay. How do you feel? Do you need anything?” 

Cheryl chuckles nervously, shaking her head ‘no’. Toni exhales shakily, caressing gently Cheryl’s forearms. “Is it really happening?” Cheryl asks, not knowing where she is between dream and reality. She thinks it’s really cute seeing Toni so serious right now with toothpaste still covering the corners of her lips

“It is. We’re soon gonna meet our baby.” Toni whispers with the widest grin Cheryl ever saw. 

It’s happening.

In less than 12 hours, there will be a third Topaz.

Soon, they think.

So soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and free yourself to leave kudos and comments; it's always good to see them! And I see you soon!


	6. Meet baby Juliette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Um… sorry for disappearing like this _again_?… I’m not gonna throw the ‘there was so much going on in my life’ 2 miles long speech but honestly the last few months have been a heavy ordeal- and I’m not even the worst case... so I hope all of you are fine and in health as well as your families and also hope Earth, our home, will get better…  
> Without further ado, here I give you another chapter of our favorite power couple with their little newborn- if this could make you smile for a little bit of time, I consider it a win.
> 
> Enjoy!

Toni always believed that she had reached the absolute peak of happiness with the love of her life, Cheryl, by her side- that whatever happened, there would always be one thing that would make her smile after each ordeal: her beautiful redhead. 

All it took was a tiny living being, a teeny thing no bigger than 20 inches and no heavier than 7,38 pound, a squealing little face and chubby hands and feet to make her understand that her Cheryl once again surpassed her expectations; she managed to make her prove that she was able to raise the bar of ultimate happiness to a tearful point – giving their couple a baby or in other words (by the vast population) was subject to the miracle of life.

A light chuckle followed then shortly after by a loving smile escaped Toni as the younger redhead, the new member of the Topaz family, Juliette, grabbed her index finger and squeezed it as tightly as a newborn possibly could. Comfortably lying in her mama’s arms, little Juliette, fully awake after crying her ass off and sleeping soundly for countless hours (to eager Toni’s taste), was playing calmly and starring longingly in Toni’s eyes. Toni starred back effortlessly, founding Cheryl’s multiple characteristics on her daughter’s face. The obvious pale skin and mass of vibrant red hair, same captivating brown orbs in big eyes, tiny sculpted nose and slightly rosy cheeks- she honestly found it breathtaking the resemblance and beauty between the two girls of her life. 

Toni heard Cheryl whine and move in her hospital bed, from her place in a soft sofa against the wall not far from the door. She switched her gaze from her breathtaking baby to her waking wife. She smiled as Cheryl turned her head towards the window on the other side of the room gently calling her name. Toni then slowly stood from her sofa with Juliette still in her arms and approached the other redhead calmly. 

“I’m here.” she calls out softly, immediately relaxing her wife.

Arriving at the edge of the bed, Cheryl scooted over while rubbing the sleep from her eyes to let Toni sit next to her. Cheryl was instantly looking at her daughter, silently asking for Toni to give it to her. Toni slowly passed the baby, putting it carefully in her wife’s arms and making herself comfortable next to Cheryl, wrapping an arm around her hospital-gown-covered shoulders. She happily looked as Cheryl’s perfectly manicured fingers passed their gentle and protective pads across Juliette’s arm. She began from her chubby wrist, slowly rising to her elbow and shoulder rapidly making contact with her soft cheeks since newborns’ necks are hidden. She caresses it lovingly with the back of her second phalanx of her index finger. The married couple starred longingly at their baby’s eyes while Juliette starred at Cheryl’s. The older redhead then resumed her tracing, passing the pads of her fingers on the silky skin of her daughter’s chest and bumpy stomach and finally reaching the white diaper.

“She’s beautiful...” Cheryl whispered, incapable of using her voice right now.

“She’s _perfect_.” Toni confirmed, tightening her embrace around her wife.

Cheryl turned her head towards her wife’s, the gap between them now was almost nonexistent- their nose bumped gently into the other’s and their lips were brushing which immediately (by instinct perhaps) made them kiss. Toni moved her hand from Juliette’s little foot to Cheryl’s exposed neck, felling her sterno-cleido mastoid flexing out by the position. They kissed passionately – demonstrating all the love and affection and gratefulness they felt for each other – for what felt like eternity before they were interrupted by a cute strangled squeak. They turned their attention down to their 8 hours old daughter, who’s face was becoming redder and her mouth wider and in a matter of time this tiny human was crying the loudest you have ever heard a baby cry making flinch both of the new moms. 

Everything by then was fast to happen. Cheryl breastfeeding their daughter for the first time, the nurses showing Toni how to swaddle the baby, how bottle feed the baby, how to bath the baby, giving them essentials like the couple didn’t prepare everything down to the last detail...etc. 

Their favorite part was most definitely dressing their newborn in the little outfit they prepared while face timing their closest friends from Cali and Riverdale, then Juliette’s godparents and family for the good news. Cheryl was beyond exhausted and claimed a shower to ‘banish the pain officially’. Toni looked after Juliette while she slept and assured Cheryl that she looked stunning and was quite a turn on with her hair in a messy bun on top of her sweaty and tired blushing face, receiving a roll of eye and a faltered smile in return. While she waited for her wife, Toni cleaned the room, got their stuff together in their respective bags aside the door and took hundreds of photos of her daughter- finding her absolutely the cutest with her sleeping face and little burrito body (Cheryl called it her ‘in-chrysalis-phase-sleeping baby’).

When Cheryl emerged from the massive en suite (they ordered the biggest hospital room… of course), cleaned up – as she described it a ‘renaissance’, she dressed in her clothes and urged Toni to hurry up filling the papers because she wanted only one thing: come back home with her daughter. Toni then pushed the wheelchair on which her wife was sitting with Juliette carefully in her arms to the entrance of the hospital after the little encounter between Cheryl and the nurse- Cheryl insisted that she could walk by herself while the nurse told her that it was simply the standard protocol after giving birth. 

Toni took the few bags as Cheryl was cooing Juliette with a wide smile. They walked the short path to the SUV. Toni opened the back doors to set the bags and present the enormous baby seat to Juliette. The couple could have been as delicate as humanly possible to place her in the seat- no chance, the baby started crying and screaming becoming redder and redder by the second, making Cheryl’s heart ache and Toni’s ears bleed. One thing Toni was sure of was that Juliette not only inherited her mother's beautiful eyes but also her powerful vocal cords and spacious mouth, surely destined for eloquent speeches and elaborated scandals. 

***

Back in the security of her mommy's arms once they arrived at home, Juliette stopped crying. Toni unlocked the front door of the California style house with the bags hooked on her arms and shoulder, and let Cheryl enter first. Following shortly after, Toni dropped the bags and came to Cheryl’s side, wrapping an arm around Cheryl’s waist.

The baby was slowly looking around, taking in the setting of her new home- with light this time.

“Welcome to your new home, Juliette Topaz.” Cheryl presented quietly. Toni smiled and leaned in to kiss her wife’s cheek. Unfortunately the quiet moment wasn’t as long as wanted because once again baby Juliette burst into a tearless cry echoing around the illuminated room. They quickly got to work- Cheryl feeding the hungry babe and Toni tidying up some things. 

*

When Juliette was full and fast asleep in her fancy white crib – who was moved from the nursery to the couple's room – Cheryl and Toni also tired by the last few days and events decided to take a nap in their king sized bed (which has been left exactly how it was when Cheryl lost her water in the en suite). Cheryl fell into deep sleep almost instantly the moment she was comfortably curled in Toni's side. The gang member stilled awake a little more thinking about everything that’s happened. 

Fast driving to the hospital. Looking at her heavy breathing wife frown deeply as the contractions came and went, each time more frequently. Entering the hospital with a few nurses already ready. Lying Cheryl on the bed while the nurses prepared everything. The doctor asking for Cheryl to push one more time. Having to encourage Cheryl who had tears in her eyes from the pain while silently praying for the suffering to transfer from her body to her own- thinking that the crashing-bone grip on her hand wasn’t enough. Wiping her own tears while seeing her baby emerging from her wife, screaming with life. Kissing her beyond tired wife with such love and congratulating her. Cutting the umbilical cord. Thanking every congratulating nurses. Giving her daughter her first bath. Bringing her baby into Cheryl’s arms for her to see her miracle.

Again tears pulled at her eyes as a fond smile as she remembered what would certainly be one of the best day of her life- _the day her daughter was born_. 

She couldn’t quiet believe it honestly. Just two days back they were dreaming of it and now they were three in the house. It felt like just yesterday Cheryl was coming out to her in Pop’s and now...she was the mother of her child.

Unconsciously, she tightened her hold around her sleeping wife, sighing dreamily before falling into sleep as well.

***

The next few weeks went relatively the same: the baby crying her ass off for Cheryl to feed her then instantly falling asleep against her chest- hearing the soothing and familiar sound of her mother’s heartbeat – and this at every freaking moment of the day and _even_ in the middle of the night; changing what truly felt like hundreds of diaper per day; and playing with her attentive self when she was awake. 

But the baby was mostly either sleeping or eating (well crying loudly for it first) which is the routine of a hibernating bear.

In the meantime, Cheryl, still in her maternity leave, set a sports goal to find her body again while Toni started to work again with an arranged schedule in order to be available as much as possible for her little family. Cheryl slowly started work again at home- face timing during the meetings and discussing with her colleagues on cases. She had a lot of visits from close friends for brunch and baby time as well as a lot of Skype time with her high school friends from ‘The town with pep!’- chatting or consoling a crying Josie after seeing her goddaughter smile for the first time.  
She and Toni were kind of sad that Sweet Pea and Josie, the god parents of their precious angel, couldn’t come to their home in Cali for the baby’s first days in this world because Josie had to travel back and forth for concerts and Sweet Pea had a lot to do with his full time job and his twins at school- but that they would come for the first break and holiday to come.

They completely understood the situation and sometimes thought of coming back to their native land to reconnect with friends and family. But now the absolute priority was their tiny baby. 

Right now, Cheryl was drinking what felt like the twentieth bottle of water of the evening after her workout routine. She looked up to the wall clock near the kitchen and read 5:54 PM which meant Toni was on her way back home by now. Juliette was upstairs taking a nap. Cheryl urged herself to shower during the short silence time she had before the inevitable hungry-baby-bomb dropped. 

She quickly undressed without looking at her reflection in the full length mirror, not completely ready to face herself yet even if Toni promised her that she was beautiful as ever and that she hasn’t changed. After her quick shower, she dressed casually and silently thanked God for keeping Juliette asleep while she cleaned. 

Just as she was lightly cleaning the house waiting for Toni to arrive, Juliette woke up. She bent over the crib next to the bed smiling at the adorable whining face Juliette was making. She undid the swaddle, watching fondly as her baby stretched her little arms and short chubby legs. Watching her daughter waking up was one of her favorite things about having a baby. Cheryl softly grabbed her under her armpits and raised her up to carry her downstairs. 

She made herself comfortable in the large and cloudy-soft couch in the living room with Juliette carefully held against her chest, her hand keeping her unstable head from falling back. She turned the TV on to pass the time before Toni’s arriving while continuously drinking water. She felt her baby wetting the skin below her collarbone and delicately moved her to lay on her back in her arms, letting the six weeks old baby make bubbles with her mouth as she held one of Cheryl’s fingers tightly. Not much later, Cheryl heard the door unlock and open and waited for Toni to come to her.

“Hey,” she heard Toni sigh tiredly. She bent over the back of the couch behind Cheryl and smiled when she saw Juliette in her wolf gray onesie, her little legs lightly kicking in the air. Cheryl smiled too, looking down at her baby as Toni passed her hand on the bumpy stomach fondly. She turned her head to the side to greet her wife properly. They kissed each other firmly, Cheryl smirking into the kiss as she heard Toni breath her in through her nose- a habit Toni did unconsciously when she felt happy and relaxed, as Cheryl learned during the years of dating. Cheryl pulled away contently and Toni made one last move to kiss Cheryl’s cheek before she went to the kitchen to drink something. 

“Do you want somethin’ to drink?” Toni called.

“Uh, yes, please. That protein smoothie you made me last time with oatmeal and everything- it actually boosted my milk volume!” she called back eagerly. 

“M’on it” Toni chuckled, smiling. 

“Thank you, love!” Cheryl replied. Juliette made a soft sound as if saying thanks too. “Oh, yeah?” Cheryl giggled, “Thank you, mama- you wanna say thank you, mama? And I love you- I love you, Juliette...” she watched as Juliette starred at her attentively and let appear a wide, amused and toothless smile, reproducing a sound as if replying to her mommy. Cheryl giggled again and brought her baby closer to her, adoringly peppering kisses on all over her face. 

***

3:24 AM

“Toni, get her...” Toni heard Cheryl whine/ mumble sleepily and felt her knee being kicked. 

She rolled over, the muffled sound of her baby’s strangled and needy cries now clear, loud and real. She sat up, removed the cover from her numb body and got out of bed while softly rubbing her eyes.

Once she came to Juliette’s crib, she bent over, slipped her hands under her baby’s back and gently took crying burrito Juliette out of the room with her. As she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, Toni tried in vain to sooth and relax Juliette; patting her back gently and bouncing up and down tiredly while shushing reassuring words as ‘it’s ok...” or “we’re gonna get you food, you’re not gonna starve, burrito baby...”. 

When she arrived in front of the fridge, she opened it and took one of the milk bags Cheryl pumped. She quickly prepared a warm water bath to dive the bag in for a few minutes. As she waited, her eyes set on the oven clock reminding her of the time. She sighed when she took in how early it was- it was frequent by now, waking up at irregular intervals of 3 to 4 hours, but she thought she may never get used to it. 

She professionally undid the swaddle on the counter top to let her baby move freely.  
When the milk was warm enough, she poured out the liquid in the tiny bottle feed, grabbed the star pattern baby burp cloth and placed it on her left shoulder with familiarity and left the kitchen to go get comfortable on the sofa in the living room. 

Toni sat down and began to feed Juliette, who accepted the bottle immediately. The cries stopped once she started swallowing, but Juliette was still whining repeatedly as a process of decelerating the trauma of hunger. The new mom looked down as her baby was hungrily drinking the milk, one small hand placed on the side of the bottle and the other hooked on Toni’s t-shirt collar. Toni took advantage of the moment of calm and let her heavy eyelids lower to relax a bit. 

She opened her eyes a few minutes after when she felt the light weighted bottle move. She looked down tiredly and saw that Juliette drank all of the bottle’s content and was now ready to burp. Toni raised the baby up against her left shoulder, making sure to support her head and began tapping firmly on Juliette’s back. She heard the cutest little burp ever and smiled instinctively, turning her head to kiss Juliette’s temple. 

The burping time now finished, and Juliette’s eyes now slowly closing, Toni stood up from the couch and walked around, bouncing in a soporific pace. Juliette was now sleeping contently with her tum full when Toni reached for the bedroom. She ran her hand one last time on the soft red tuft and kissed the puffy cheek lovingly before placing the baby back in the crib gently as well as the swaddle cloth, neatly on her lower body.

She took one last glance towards the raising and falling tiny tummy before moving to her side of the bed. She slipped under the covers and sighed. She felt Cheryl roll over, place her arm around her middle and tiredly kiss her cheek before falling back asleep next to Toni. Toni slept instantly as well, letting herself sinking deep in the comfort of their expensive- cloudy mattress and into a dreamless sleep.

***

Toni remained her slow dancing with Juliette firmly pressed against her chest. It was late that Sunday night; Juliette just ate and relied on Toni to lead her into deep sleep- which was soon to happen, while Cheryl enjoyed the warmness the shower offered her before going to bed as well. 

Toni found that the proximity between her and Juliette multiplied the links that united them and enjoyed the feeling of letting her warmness heating her baby while holding her in a protective embrace.

Cheryl already shared a special and very strong bond with their daughter, having carried her for a little over 9 months and it’s certainly for this same reason that Toni felt an inextinguishable need to protect her baby, understanding, perhaps finally, the notion of maternal instinct. 

She smiled at the thought, continuing to slowly balance and walk carefully with cushioning steps. She kept her cheek against Juliette little head, humming comfortingly some songs that went through her mind, and occasionally kissing the soft and sweet-smelling red down softly.

After some time, she slowly backed away to see if Juliette was asleep. And she was indeed. So she stopped her pacing around the room and made her way to the crib, putting Juliette slowly and carefully in. Toni watched with apprehension as Juliette moved her arm above her head before staying perfectly still- deep in sleep again, only her small tummy was moving. 

Toni backed away from the crib and searched her phone with her eyes. She remembered she left it on the center island of the dressing room, so without wasting time, she made her way to the room attached to the bedroom. She immediately spotted it on the counter aside from Cheryl’s clothes pile. She took it and turned it on, seeing the few messages, and email and social medias notifications. 

While she rapidly checked her emails, still standing in the middle of the dressing room, she heard the faint sound of the shower’s water stopping its casting and after a few seconds, the en suite’s (itself attached to the dressing room) door opened to reveal Cheryl, a red towel around her middle and a white one on top of her head as well as steam escaping from the shower behind her, making the scenery breathtaking.

Cheryl felt heat raising up to her cheeks and neck, down to her chest- she was blushing due to the look Toni gave her at the moment. Toni sensed her awkwardness and decided to leave Cheryl some privacy while changing into pjs. She made her way towards her wife, smiled reassuringly and kissed her cheek tenderly before leaving the room and going back to bed. 

Toni wasn’t a big fan of her couple's current situation. What she wasn’t very fan of, honestly, was this tension present between them each time Cheryl presented minimum of clothing. The thing is that since Cheryl gave birth, and maybe sooner- during the pregnancy, the redhead had seen herself housing a body complex. She saw it taking a different shape and after the giving birth experience, she really didn’t feel like she was in her body anymore. She became modest around Toni, and minimized sexual intercourse which Toni didn’t really understood but never kept on insisting or pushing Cheryl into. Toni always respected her and her choices, but deep down she knew she was growing worried.

Toni was put out of her thoughts when Cheryl came in the bedroom, dressed and hair up in a mid-dried bun. Cheryl walked toward the white crib, took a look at the soundly sleeping Juliette then made her way to her bed. She was exhausted so she decided to drop the night reading time she usually took and made herself comfortable besides Toni, herself already on her back under the covers. 

Cheryl always felt a little guilty and ashamed when she refused the sex-time Toni implicitly proposed, or abruptly stopped the heated make out sessions, or felt awkward around Toni when she stepped out of shower, random example…-just leaving Toni unsatisfied (that’s what she thought she did). So afterwards, she always excused herself, in some way: kissing the consequences of her actions away, or making Toni her favorite meal- this was really a shitty situation, they both knew it, but they didn’t often talked about it.

Cheryl turned on her side, facing Toni. 

Toni glanced at her and quickly imitated her position, making the both of them facing each other... _like old times_. 

Cheryl smiled and leaned in to kiss Toni’s lips briefly. She giggled when Toni kept leaning in after she pulled away, making Toni smile in the process.

“Remind me what time this art exhibition starts, again.” Cheryl quietly asked.

“You already forgot?” Toni chuckled, taking a strand of humid red hair and putting it gently behind Cheryl’s ear.

“No, I just wanna know if I have enough time to get my car checked up before the event...” 

“Why? What’s its problem?” Toni frowned.

“There's that never-ending, deafening hum coming from behind, I don’t have any clue on what’s going on, but it's unbearable- as much for me as for our fragile baby.” Cheryl explained, unconsciously getting worked up. Cheryl slowly relaxed by Toni’s gently strokes on her arm.

“Okay, let me take care of it.” Toni murmured.

“No, don’t worry, I’ll take it to this garage near this bowling place.” Cheryl placed her hand on Toni’s cheek.

“No, those guys are thieves, it cost me an arm to repair the scratches on the side of the car, last time- nope, I’ll take a look tomorrow after work.” Toni insisted, making Cheryl roll her eyes.

“Fine.” Cheryl chuckled, leaning in for another peck. Once the kiss ended, she turned around, finding a little spoon position.

Toni moved closer to Cheryl, her chest entering in contact with the redhead’s back appreciatively. She placed her hand on Cheryl’s shoulder gently and kissed the back of it in the same time. She felt Cheryl lean into her and took it positively. Toni then kissed higher, on the crook of her neck while her hand lowered to her bicep, squeezing softly. She finished her trail of three kisses with the last one behind her ear.

“You smell good...” she whispered in her ear, making Cheryl sigh.

Toni’s hand traveled all the way down Cheryl’s arm to her hand, interlacing them loosely. She started to kiss Cheryl’s neck again, putting more pressure when she came to her pulse point and receiving an uncontrolled, trembled breath in response. She went up to her ear again and whispered: “ _I know you taste good too..._ ” 

“Toni,” Cheryl moaned.

Toni let Cheryl roll over slowly, facing her anew. Toni looked in Cheryl’s eyes, preparing herself for a negative response. Cheryl made this same sorry look that spoke of itself. 

Toni broke their eye contact, looking down, which made Cheryl feel instantly bad. The redhead felt the tears raising in her eyes, blurring her vision. She cupped both of Toni’s cheeks and kissed her apologetically. She pulled away and looked in Toni’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry- I can’t-” the redhead whispered, pained to inflict this to her wife.

“No, Cheryl, it’s okay,” Toni interrupted once she saw Cheryl’s eyes tear up.  
“It’s okay, don’t cry- I can wait, it’s okay.” Toni hurried to say, palming Cheryl’s cheek. 

She quickly noticed that her wife was not getting better, so she took her and hugged her tight. 

Toni’s heart broke completely when she heard and felt her redhead sobbing softly in her arms. She regretted immensely making her wife feel that way, she knew her stamina was strong sometimes but she loved her wife more than anything and that would never change, even if their sex life wasn’t as active as in past times. She couldn’t even begin to imagine ever pushing Cheryl into something she wouldn’t want to do- much less making her feel like she had to, and she hated herself if it was currently the case. She loved Cheryl way to much to hurt her, and now she was crying…

“I’m sorry, Toni…” Cheryl sobbed quietly, trying not to wake Juliette.

“No, Cheryl, _I’m_ sorry. I don’t want to force you- I don’t want you to feel like you have to...” Toni apologized, rubbing her back comfortingly. 

“It’s been so long-...” the redhead breathed. “I’m not ready yet, I just don’t feel like myself recently… _Please_ honey, don’t be mad at me-”

“No, no, I’m not mad at you- I’ll wait, take your time, babe.” Toni whispered, kissing Cheryl’s side of the head. “Take all the time you need, it’s okay…”  
She backed away, breaking the passionate hug, to look at Cheryl. She saw her damp cheeks wet with tears and wiped them away gently. She looked directly in her lover’s eyes and whispered surely: “I love you.”  
She nodded to accentuate her words without breaking eye contact or even blink an eye. 

“I love you too, so much.” Cheryl whispered.

Toni didn’t hesitate and pulled Cheryl in for a passionate, firm yet gentle kiss, hoping every damn molecules of her heart would escape her mouth and enter Cheryl’s.

Once the kiss broke, they cuddled up again and fell in light sleep.


	7. Wait- you mean you and Toni didn’t do it for months?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone !  
>  Happy to write to you all again. This is chapter seven of choni parenting experience, we’ll have choni going through post baby issues (globally), Toni is away for work, slight smutty moment may I say, Toni thinking _she_ is the problem which is sooo adorable and also crazy unhealthy, and we’ll meet some of Cheryl’s friends.
> 
> I am doing crap at posting at regular intervals, I know, but I hate writing… :( 
> 
> Enjoy!

Toni slowly rose from unconsciousness after hearing the repetitive melody of her alarm clock that she has set up the previous night, much earlier than she is used to to wake up for work. Today she had a photography collaboration with an agency in Nevada for a professional photo shoot in the desert. She was kind of excited because she had been working on this collab for months but also because the final material would be on magazines first pages. 

Toni stretched her arms above her head and turned on her side to shut the alarm up. 

6:15 AM.

She knew she had to wake up early so she could hit the road and arrive in town with enough time to get settled down in the residence she booked, and attend to her appointment at the agency, which was in the early afternoon.

She looked on the other side and saw her in-deep-sleep wife, facing her, with an arm bent under her head. Toni took a little extra time to appreciate the view. 

She savored the peace of the moment, the face of pure serenity that showed Cheryl- and the, of course, sexiness Toni low key found in her wife’s makeup free visage. Without knowing it, a happy smile spread on Toni’s lips. 

Her starring migrated a little lower, traveling down to her soft neck and exposed collarbones to finally settle on Cheryl’s chest. From her point of view, Toni could perfectly see her cleavage and she did for a strong minute. In proper time, if Cheryl were wide awake and conscious, she would highly disapprove of such behavior- which consisted of the full on starring pack with squinting and head-tilting acts… 

But she knew better than to let it go further than dreams, for now...hopefully. So, after a while, she sat up in her bed and extended her neck a bit to catch a glance of her baby. She saw, between the organic-white-wooden bars of the crib on the other side of the bed, her baby still asleep too. She threw her legs on the side of the bed and got up. She wanted to take advantage of the alone time to do as much thing as possible without waking anybody.

She made herself a light breakfast (saving the rest for Cheryl) and went back upstairs to take a shower. She pulled her hair into a loose bun, got rid of her pjs and jumped into the shower. She made it in 15 minutes and got out. She self dried, brushed her teeth, put some light makeup on and dressed in comfortable clothes and finally went out of the dressing room and in the bedroom where she saw Juliette awake, shaking her little legs in the air.

Toni made her way to the crib and bent over to take the two-month-old baby up. She softly hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She sniffed instinctively and frowned at the odor. She surely did number 1 and 2. So, as usual, Toni went to the nursery and changed Juliette in new diaper and onesie, taking some extra time to enjoy baby-mama senseless conversations. 

When she went back to the master bedroom, Toni quietly approached Cheryl and placed Juliette besides her. The little sounds escaping the baby’s toothless mouth as well as the chubby kicking extremities woke the older redhead. Cheryl stirred awake and glanced down at Juliette, instantly caressing her in all gentleness. 

Toni put her hands on the bed, lowered herself and kissed Cheryl’s cheek. “Good morning.” she murmured.

Cheryl turned her head and sleepily smiled at Toni. She rose slightly to make their lips meet. “Good morning.”

Toni smiled and gazed back at Juliette. “I just changed little stinker.” she said, caressing the small foot. “I’m about to go, -”

“To Nevada?” Cheryl asked, running her fingers though her daughter's hair.

“Yeah, I wanted to take some advance on the planning to get everything ready...” Toni said quietly. She rose off the bed and took her small suitcase and photography bag she prepared the night before. “and avoid traffic.”

“Honey, preserve yourself on the road- please, don’t succumb to the mortal temptation-” Cheryl pleaded as she sat up against the headboard with Juliette on her lap.

Toni giggled as she adjusted her backpack. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll be careful.”

“You always say that and come home with a fine for speeding.” Cheryl looked up at her.

“There was no one on the road and I was late-” Toni defended with amusement.

“That happened more than once, TT, and you know it.” she paused. “I’m just asking you to be more careful and to not try anything dangerous...” Cheryl said with clarity. She brought her baby close to her face, pressing their cheeks together and whispered “for us…?”

Toni chuckled and approached Cheryl to peck her lips twice. “Don’t worry.” she smiled. She then glanced down at Juliette and attacked her cheeks and neck with kisses. “I’ll bring you a souvenir cap, you want one?” she asked her, receiving a giant smile from her daughter as well as excited squeals. Cheryl smiled at the interaction. 

The photograph looked up at her wife again and kissed her. “And I’ll bring a desert Rose _pour la fleur de mon cœur_ ” she rasped against her lips.

Cheryl’s eyebrows rose with surprise and enjoyment. “Wow, you learned a new one…?” she smiled, delight and satisf action warming her heart.

Toni nodded eagerly, smiling widely and kissing her again. She backed away from the bed and took her things. “I’ll be back by Thursday evening. I love you, babe.” she said as she went for the door.

“I love you too,” Cheryl replied, kissing her palm and blowing air on it to send the abstract kiss. She then took Juliette forearm and shook it gently. “Bye mama.” she said with a baby voice. Toni smiled replying a quick goodbye and left.

Arrived in the front door, she put her shoes on, took her purse and jacket and went outside for her car, closing and locking the door behind her. Soon enough she was on the road, for a lot of time, speeding towards her new exciting project.

***

It was past 11AM, Toni’s been on the road for several hours and has still a few to go. 

She focused on the road while some light pop songs were being played on the radio. She glanced ahead as the red car in front of her changed sides and was now in the right row. The road was now clear and inviting Toni to speed up the pace a bit. Toni hesitated for a second, throwing a glance at the speedometer: she was already at 74 mph. She thought back at Cheryl’s warning but her foot was already beginning to push on the accelerator and the adrenaline was boiling inside while a smile pulled at her lips and her hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel; she wanted only one thing-

The song that played on the radio stopped and was replaced by her cell phone ringtone. She she got out of her trans, frowning. The serpent glanced down at the dashboard screen and saw her wife’s name. She immediately accepted the call.

“Hey, my love.” Toni heard Cheryl greeting her through the speakers.

“Hey, babe! Everything alright?”

“Yes, you’re still on the road?”

“Indeed, I still have a few hours to go, not much...” 

“No speeding balderdash?” Toni heard Cheryl ask subtly as well as some background baby sounds.

“No…” she reassured her wife with a roll of eye “is my stinky baby alright? where is she?”

“She’s just aside me, doing her tummy time” she heard Cheryl chuckle.

“Did she manage not to roll over…?”

“Do you even know your daughter, TT?” Cheryl chuckled, “Every time I show her the book- she rolls over, she does not care! Anyways” Toni giggled with amusement at her wife’s annoyance. “Toni, I just wanted to let you know that we need to lengthen the casting for Juliette’s nanny…”

“Did we not decide to go for the one with the big feet?” Toni asked, frowning.

“Mon amour, you have to make an effort on remembering Juliette’s caretakers…big foot’s named Julia- and about this, she resigned for personal issues,-”

“Oh crap...” Toni sighed. 

“Exactly, so we have to find a new one ASAP.” 

“Weren’t you supposed to get back to work next week?”

“Well yes, but work will have to wait for us to find a reliable and qualified employee for our baby...” Cheryl said with determination, she always became a little defensive when her baby’s safety was touched on.

“I understand.” Toni nodded, arriving at a red light.

“I hope my boss will too..” Cheryl muttered quietly.

“Did you found anything?” Toni asked.

“Yes, as soon as Julia texted me just after you left, I started the research. I fell on a few which are likely to be suitable.”

“Okay.” Toni hummed, eyeing a few cars.

“So, casting at the end of the week- put this on your schedule, lover.” 

“Alright.” Toni agreed. “Otherwise, what are you up to, baby?” she asked interested.

“Well, Anna is preparing an up to the mark little gathering, inner circle only, with brunch and mommy/baby time at noon- should be fun...” Cheryl said sounding a little off.

“What’s up babe, you seem off...” Toni giggled.

“Oh nothing I just miss you I guess...” Cheryl whimpered “We both do.” she referred to her daughter.

“Aww, I miss my girls too- just two days to go and I’ll be back in your arms, don’t worry” The gang member promised with a smile. 

“Mmm..”

“Hey, Cher, did you confirm to Betty that we’re in for the next weekend thing?” Toni remembered.

“Yes, she’s so excited- I think it’ll be good for all of us to inhale the grubby, sinfully polluted air of Riverdale again, don’t you think?” the redhead said cheerfully.

“Absolutely! I miss the grounds and the people…” Toni sighed.

“Yeah… Alright, TT, I’ll let you go back to car trip. Grand bisous from Juliette and I. I love you.”she said tenderly “Oh! and PS: thanks for the breakfast- highly appreciated!”

“I love you so much.” Toni laughed.

“Bye.” Cheryl giggled contagiously.

“Bye.” Toni ended the call.

***

Finally, after what felt like endless hours of driving, Toni made it to the parking lot of the guest house she booked. Contrary to Cheryl, she always preferred warm accommodation stations full of old welcoming people than a luxury hotel without a history to tell…

She removed the ignition from the car, picked out the garbage of the snacks she nibbled during the long ride, her phone and coat and exited the car. She closed the door and opened the one for the backseats. She took her bags and headed towards the entrance of the homey house. On the way, she threw the snack bags in the bin by the parking lot. 

Toni climbed the few steps of the porch and opened the doors. She was immediately welcomed by gentle cheerful greetings. She looked up and saw a smiling couple in their old 60s at least. 

“Hi!” she grinned.

“Welcome to Donna and Daniel’s household- D&D’s warm home!” the small and tough woman said enthusiastically, with a giant smile plastered on her face and her husband trailing behind.

“Thanks!” Toni replied satisfied. She rolled her suitcase towards them as she just realized how much cats appeared in her sight- literally from everywhere.  
“Uh.. I booked on Topaz name?” she asked while she rose her leg to step over an asleep cat in her way.

“Yes...” she nodded, searching in her small notebook full of colorful little post-its getting out of it. “Yes! Topaz: master bedroom for two days.” she looked up again. “We’re gonna show you around. Shall we begin the tour by the sun lighted garden?” the hostess asked as her husband gently discharged Toni from her bags.

*

“Yeah, this is nice...” Toni said walking into her room and looking around with a pleased smile. Toni loved way more to sojourn in a big guest house, full of other couples or family to meet and eat dinner with, with a warm atmosphere always completed with sounds whether it was joyful infantile laughs or interesting old couples’ fights to listen to through thin walls- and the house always had a history to tell, than the too modern, insignificant and luxurious hotel Cheryl made sure to book in advance. One thing Toni also knew was that Cheryl really wasn’t a fan of the idea.

“Thank you, and feel free to leave a note and these little stars thing on the site...” Donna stumbled with her words and especially with technology notions- which was clear with the frown deepening on her face.

“Of course.” Toni chuckled with amusement.

“We’ll let you get settled down, now... If you need anything, don’t hesitate.” she smiled as she slowly backed away towards the door “We’ll have coq au vin for diner tonight.” she said cheerfully, with a tone of finality and then left closing the door behind her and letting Toni sit down to text Cheryl that she arrived. 

***

“Yeah I suffered, obviously,” said Cammie, exaggerating on the last word “but I was just so worried about my vagina still being the same, you know? Like I wanted to check and be sure that everything was still alright down there...” the blond beauty told with a slutty voice, pointing a finger towards her intimate area.

“And how did you do the checking?” Anna raised her eyebrows with a smirk, her question laced with an indiscreet innuendo as she combed through her baby girl's curly hair. 

“Oh no, not again...” Jessie sighed, stretching her arm out for a square of sugar to put in her tea.

“Well let’s just say Drew did not complain, like, at all...” Cammie replied, raising her eyebrows at the memory of the under-the-sheets events with her husband. She pursed her lips as Anna laughed her ass off really loudly. The blond looked up meeting her other friends’ eyes. “What? I’m certainly not the only one… right?”

“Oh my god! Of course!” Claire laughed out loud making the girls siting in circle with their babies chuckle. Cheryl slightly blushed at the obviousness in her friend’s tone. “That was actually the first thing I wanted to do after giving birth to Olivia.”

Jessie rolled her eyes, making them land in Cheryl’s direction. She frowned when she saw her blushing hard with her eyes on her baby laying on her lap. 

“… I could say I really missed it-” Cammie sighed dreamily but was interrupted by Jessie.

“Cheryl, what’s wrong dear? Usually you’re one to vent you and Toni’s prowess, why are you suddenly so calm…?” Jessie asked softly, drawing everyone’s attention to the redheaded mom.

“No, it’s just-it’s... not exactly happening lately…” she muttered quietly, sighing as Juliette played with Cammie’s baby boy next to her. She resumed her gaze on her daughter, too ashamed or intimidated or guilty (…?) to look directly in her friends’ eyes- which was highly unusual from Cheryl’s end, who was always one to keep her head held high, proud and confidently talking.

“What do you mean? Did you and Toni fight?” Claire asked, frowning.

“No, not exactly… After giving birth to Juliette, I just, I think I just... lost my body. Like it wasn’t the same anymore- my body has changed, _I_ have changed and I became very modest around Toni and...” 

“Is it still the case?” Anna softly asked.

Cheryl just nods, sadly.

“Wait- you mean you and Toni didn’t do it for months?!-” Claire asked surprised and gasped when she was slapped on the arm by Anna.

“Shut up.” Anna glanced at her Claire, “I read an article about it once. It’s surprisingly common in fact- especially for new moms.” she nodded.

“I feel so awful every time I refuses it to her” Cheryl shook her head “I see it in her eyes- she’s tired and sad and it makes me feel so bad but I don’t know how to overcome my insecurity… I keep thinking maybe she won’t like it down there anymore..?” 

“Cheryl. You are absolutely the same. You haven’t changed a bit- you just grew more responsible and mature because of baby experience.” Jessie told her, reaching out to place her hand on Cheryl’s arm.

“Absolutely. I mean, she could only love you more with what you just brought to your couple. Toni absolutely adores Juliette and you even more because of it- that’s what _I_ see in her eyes every time I come here.” Claire states honestly. And Cammie nods at that.

“Yeah I see it too, and it’s adorable.” she smiled, tilting her head to the side a little.

“Girl, you just need to step out of your comfort zone, buy her some flowers and finest lingerie and take it out in the bedroom-”Anna advised, bumping the knuckles of her her closed fists together “you’ll see, way more than only one issue will be solved..”

Cheryl looked around at her supportive friends as they all nodded agreeing with that point. She thought for a minute or two as the conversation drifted slowly to another topic. Maybe they were right, maybe it just needed to be as easy as it sounded. But why wasn’t it the case? It’s been months and months since she prevented her wife from getting laid- something the two of them actually did on a high frequency before Juliette. This was the first time she a

_This had to change _she thought determined.__

__***_ _

__“ _Oh_ … Toni” Cheryl moaned as she rose her hand up Toni’s nape to loose her fingers in the dark roots of her hair. Toni continued sucking delightfully on her pale neck.   
The gang member, wanting to hear even more needy sounds and breaths, sped up her movements even more, moving her arm at a dangerous pace._ _

__The both of them, approaching their peak more and more, heard increasing the heaviness of their breaths. Toni felt Cheryl’s walls squeeze her fingers as well as the pain in her abs from thrusting and her left scapula where Cheryl had been digging her red bitch-killer nails for a few minutes now- surely drawing blood out of her caramel skin._ _

__Suddenly, the redhead threw her head completely back as soon as Toni reached her special spot for the fifth time in a row, screaming her name and tightening her grip on her shoulder making Toni hiss in pain- which provided enough energy to somehow increase the hardness of every movements._ _

__Toni knew Cheryl came as soon as she heard her let out the filthiest, loudest moan ever but she continued at the same fast pace, connecting and driving away her hips from Cheryl’s, trying to reach another peak._ _

__She felt her wife scratching her nape unpleasantly, like small needles scratching from top to bottom but then she heard soft _purring_ and frowned…_ _

__Toni fluttered her eyes open rapidly and immediately groaned as the bright sunlight blinded her instead of a night atmosphere._ _

___It was just a fucking dream…_ she concluded._ _

__She sighed and squinted her eyes but felt that unpleasant scratching still and something move on top of her back. She was sleeping on her stomach so she turned around slowly. She looked behind her to see the thing that apparently fell from her back- a fucking cat?_ _

__A fucking cat scratched her neck out of her sweet dream?!_ _

__She frowned but rapidly remembered what Donna said during the tour- _The cats are extremely friendly and love to cuddle with the kind-being guests_._ _

__Toni turned on the other side and grabbed her phone from the nightstand beside the bed to check the time._ _

__7:19 AM_ _

__It was way too early for today’s meeting yet so she laid back in the bed on her back. She closed her eyes and almost immediately images of pale sweating cleavage and hickey-covered, porcelain-white inner thighs came in her mind. She reopened her eyes, staring at the ceiling of her room for a considerable amount of time. And she concluded. It was official. The idea of making love to Cheryl owned absolutely every part of her thoughts, she was obsessed._ _

__She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stretched awake since she wouldn’t slump back into sleep after the dream she just had. The dark haired girl turned her gaze to the fair haired cat besides her as it was licking its paw._ _

__She threw it a glare for the interruption, but just sighed and shook her head at the pathetism of the situation. She had to stop wanting something that made her wife uncomfortable, she felt like a complete monster and gross from the inside. It made her sick. After that night when she made Cheryl cry… she understood that _she_ was the problem. _ _

__She, instead of moping herself, got out of bed to begin her morning routine for the day, trying to think of anything other than slipping her hands under Cheryl’s bum and raising it to thrust even deeper…_ _

__***_ _

__“Babies, I’m home!… fucking finally” Toni huffed, relieved to be with her little family again. As she closed the door she breathed deeply the wonderful smell that surrounded the house. The strong scent of fresh cooked meal made her belly rumble. The poor cereal bar and iced coffee she had for the road back gave her enough energy for the drive, but she was excited and grateful she arrived for dinner in her sweet home, that she fast missed._ _

__She made her way to the living room, deposing her bags on the couch and draped her thin jacket on the back of it. She then called again for her wife as she made her way towards the kitchen, her nostrils guiding her like the characters in old cartoons._ _

__On the way, Cheryl came to her, walking energetically with Juliette in her arms.  
“Good evening, my sweet. How was your trip?” she asked with a bright smile. Toni hadn’t even had time to proceed anything as her baby was placed in her own arms, legs cutely moving around. She looked down to her daughter, freshly cleaned and dressed, making her escape a smile._ _

__“Oh, twas fine, we-” the brunette looked up to tell her wife the course of events but Cheryl just disappeared, perhaps returning from where she came from…Toni wasn’t completely sure what was happening, and why her partner was dressed so beautifully; the long sleeveless red ball gown which hugged her curves divinely wasn’t appropriated at all for home dinner…? And the same question went for her daughter.. Her thinking was cut short when she heard the bell ring. _what the hell is going on here?_ She looked at the vintage clock on the wall to her right and asked herself who would here at 9pm…_ _

__“Toni, love, get the door!” she heard Cheryl’s distant voice say._ _

__She made her way to the front door, readjusting Juliette in her left arm, so she could open the door.  
“Jessie?” she asked confused as to why Cheryl’s friend wanted at this time of the day._ _

__“Toni! Hey, how are you?” the woman tugged in her long coat smiled brightly. Her gaze fell to the wriggling baby in Toni’s arm. “Oh, isn’t she just perfect…” she hummed with a satisfied smile as she approached Toni to caress the baby’s belly._ _

__“Thanks, she’s really loud though...” the mother chuckled._ _

__“Oh, Jessie, you’re here, perfect.” Toni heard Cheryl say from behind her and two seconds later, she was at her side, greeting her friend with two bags in her hands, which she recognized as Juliette’s ones. “OK, so here’s her clothes, changing and cleaning stuff. This one contains the milk which you have to immediately put in the freezer, her bath products, above all don't forget to-”_ _

__“cream her entire fragile skin twice a day, I know,” Jessie cut her off “you told me a hundred times, girl. Don’t worry, I get it.”  
Toni looked between the two, not understanding at all what was going on. She heard Cheryl sigh and checking the bags._ _

__“OK… her schedule is in the front pocket of the black bag, the emergency numbers are on the back.” Cheryl nodded, trying not to worry too much and change her plans last minute._ _

__“Alright, just help me get her settled in the car seat and I’ll be gone, letting you brake the bed-”_ _

__“OK, shut up, let’s go!” Cheryl hurried, her face beginning to blush. Toni just went on without asking questions, still confused but will question Cheryl later, for now she just trust Cheryl._ _

__When everything was ready, way more rapidly than the redhead thought it would be, Jessie was ready to leave, telling how beautiful Cheryl looked and throwing her a quick wink as her car left their sight._ _

__As the door shut again, for good this time, Toni turned around facing Cheryl with a frown. Cheryl just heavily sighed and smiled. She leaned forward and kissed Toni tenderly. Toni let herself get lost in the feeling of her favorite pair of lips. They pulled away at the same time, the brunette’s eyes trailing up and down her wife’s frame. She smiled and stared back at her eyes, “You look stunning, Cher...”_ _

__The redhead smiled, feeling her confidence boost after her lover’s comment. She took Toni’s hand. “You hungry?” she asked, backing up towards the dining room._ _

__“Yeah, very much.” Toni answered, tracing back her wife’s curves with her eyes. Cheryl just bit her lower lip and guided her to a table covered with a red cloth tablecloth, long candles illuminating the room, decorated with silver cutlery and dishes for two people. Gourmets roamed each side of the table. All their favorite meals, draw saliva out of Toni’s mouth as she ran through her mind in search of a why such an event was presented to her. She scratched her head, thinking of the today’s date and if she hadn’t forgot something to celebrate…_ _

__“Don’t worry, you didn’t forget anything, I just decided that we needed some time alone, just… enjoying each other’s company. Take it as a surprise date night” Cheryl tried, playing with Toni’s fingers as she waited for a response._ _

__“This is perfect” Toni reassured her, leaning in to kiss her lovingly. She pulled away after a bit and smoothed her lover’s red hair mumbling something about not being dressed up for the date._ _

__“You’re just fine TT, you, not surprisingly, have the ability to shine no matter what you wear...” she smiled toothily, making Toni giggle quietly._ _

__They took their seat at the table, chatting about their last days apart, laughing together, eating the appetizers Cheryl mastered cooking. They then shared dessert and ‘i love you’s before falling into intense stare leading to tender kisses leading them to hurried make out sessions and hesitant touches before Toni backed away, asking if Cheryl was sure._ _

__“I’m sure” came out trembling but confident and lustful._ _

__The couple then huffed on the candles and went up the stairs, pausing a few times to kiss and undress. The rest of the night didn’t end before past 2am, rolling between the sheets, covering each other with the most dedicated and gentle touches. They made love til their limbs couldn't afford it anymore and submerge in a deep and restorative sleep, as much for their couple as for their baby-free days to come._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment of your impressions on this chapter (it really makes my day) and I’ll see you guys… whenever I feel like writing, I guess… I’m so sorry btw.. Thx for reading my shit!  
> And, before I forget: FUCKING HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!! I hope 2021 will be magical...


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